We’re not at all surprised that foreclosures are up. The data shows that properties in foreclosure in the United States grew just north of 35,000 units in May this year.

Right now, it seems as though the real estate market is too unpredictable to take any risks. Maybe you’ve been thinking about investing in real estate, but the timing doesn’t seem right. While it’s impossible to eliminate an investment’s risk, investing in turnkey single-family rentals is one of the best choices you can make for your financial future.

Investing in real estate for the first time can be a daunting venture. After all, buying an investment property is far more involved and costly than say, casually buying and trading stocks. However, the results of this investment strategy are undeniable.

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!

When we think about the principles of finance, money management, and investing, I think most of us, on a basic level, understand that owning real estate is a good thing. It’s ingrained in us that we should own a home. The American Dream has lauded it for centuries.

Successful real estate investors all have this pivotal moment where their thinking makes the critical shift from average homeowner to investor. You see, mastering an investor mindset is an overlooked yet critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to investing in real estate. Because we often think of investing as something we do “on the side” and not as a highly skilled job, we don’t often think of ourselves as truly in need of any training or in need of a fundamental shift in thinking to succeed.

What is holding you back from fulfilling your potential as a real estate investor? That might not even be the right question to ask. Maybe you haven’t started yet. Maybe you’ve been making mistakes. Sometimes it comes down to this: we’ve got this whole investment thing wrong from the very beginning. Maybe we’ve been listening to the wrong people and leaning into bad advice.

Sometimes what we think we want and what we actually need can be two radically different things. The same can be true of our real estate investment journey, especially for new investors who may not have the years of experience to know how to expertly navigate the business.

New real estate investors spend a lot of time preparing to invest. They read, analyze, research, weigh strategies, examine markets, and eventually, come to the point where they feel ready enough to jump in with both feet. But as with anything, experience is the true teacher.

We all quickly learn that real estate investment isn’t quite how we pictured it in our head...and there are a few lessons we’d wish we’d learned before we got started.

Save yourself wasted time, energy, and stress. Learn these five valuable lessons now.