In today’s real estate landscape, the rules of the game are evolving. Investors are entering the space with high expectations—and sometimes without the preparation necessary to meet them. I’m seeing it in investor conversations, online forums, and in the hundreds of inquiries we receive each month at REI Nation.

If you’re investing in real estate for the first time, you probably have lots of questions. After all, there are so many options and strategies available. It can be overwhelming! But let’s focus on one of the bigger decisions investors must make: To invest in older properties that require renovation or opt for shiny, brand-new builds.

Where should you invest in real estate? It’s the age-old question. We can make an excellent case for a few specific markets, but we want to speak more generally here. Real estate investment strategy is often about the slow zoom-in—focusing on general principles that grow in specificity as you move towards your personal pinpoint.

According to Warren Buffet, "be greedy when others are fearful." And there's plenty of fear in the real estate world. There's still ongoing debate about whether we're going to see a correction or a crash, how rising interest rates (yes, they're expected to get higher) will impact buyers, and if real estate is worth it anymore.

Investing out-of-state can be a nerve-wracking experience for the uninitiated. We’re worried enough about buying properties that we can see and visit – what about the real estate from afar?

The idea of remote investing scares a lot of people away. Little do they know that investing out-of-state can be one of the most advantageous ways to invest in real estate.

One of the biggest hurdles individual real estate investors face is the debate over where to invest. For many, investing where they feel safe is natural. After all, you know your neighborhood. You can see real, tangible opportunities pop up all around you as the market shifts. 

There's no doubt that investing in real estate is a big commitment. Every investor wants to carefully weigh their options, investigate the properties that they purchase, and be assured in the security, trustworthiness, and success of their assets.

Distance from something you care about is almost always a source of anxiety. Whether it’s a loved one, a job, or just something you feel the need to be involved with, we have in us a compulsion to be there. We want to be present to make sure that things are okay.

Some real estate investors find themselves feeling nervous at the idea of buying a piece of property that they’ve never seen before.  The Clothier family had to get over this same fear in the early 2000's when several family members were building portfolios sight unseen.  

Kent Clothier, Sr. the CEO of Memphis Invest was the out-of-town real estate investors' early advocate by recognizing the risks investors would have and building a team and systems to address those risks.  Investors' minds after-all and the horror stories of buying out-of-state were the biggest hurdle to work at over-coming.