In real estate investment, there is a constant tension between scaling one’s portfolio and maximizing the potential of your current holdings. We all want to scale — after all, growing your portfolio grows your streams of income. 

Big financial commitments are always a little daunting. This is particularly true when it comes to investing — after all, you won’t see an immediate reward for your hard-earned money. When investing in real estate, the initial down-payment is critical, but it’s far from the only or the most important factor in your financial success.

We all want a secure, reliable financial future. As people, we just want to have something dependable. Life can be so unpredictable in ways both good and bad. This can make it challenging to chart a course on your path to financial security. So often, we rely on hearsay, the success of others, and speculation when making these decisions.

Though investing in real estate seems to be hotter than ever, new real estate investors can’t expect to find success by diving into the deep end. For investors, success comes with time, patience, and experience. Thankfully, new investors don’t have to rely on trial-and-error to come out on top. Because so many have come before us, we can learn from their triumphs and failures. 

As we face some significant economic challenges, the stability and growth of the housing market are catching the eyes of many would-be real estate investors. Before diving into real estate investment with dreams of quick cash and easy wealth-building, we have to know what principles guide success in this business.

Statistics from GOBakingRates, as reported by Motley Fool, reveal that 55 percent of Americans aren’t investing in anything. Even when we look to real estate investment, we know that a lot of people think about doing it bet never full that trigger.

In the midst of financial uncertainty, more and more articles are coming out about the opportunity that investors may be able to find in real estate in the upcoming months. Many of us remember the opportunities that were found in a foreclosure-ridden market during the Great Recession.

While those of us in the real estate investment industry know the bread-and-butter concepts of turnkey investing, we also recognize that there are new and would-be investors out there. Because an educational foundation is necessary for success, we thought we’d cover some of the most common and most crucial concepts for turnkey investors to know. 

So you took the plunge. You’re officially a real estate investor! First of all, congratulations. You’ve begun your journey towards financial security — and freedom — for life. If you’re like most new investors, you likely feel nervous along with excited. After all, you just made a massive financial commitment. What if it doesn’t work out? What if you do something wrong? You don’t want to ruin your investment!

Real estate investment is an exciting venture. When you’ve never done it before, it can also be mystifying in its own way—how do you actually do it? What really goes on? Going from the point of wanting to invest in real estate to actually doing it and doing it successfully are very different things.