If you search the Internet for “worst renter stories” or terms like it, you’re bound for hours of jaw-dropping, stomach-churning entertainment. It’s like watching a train wreck. And while as fun as a bit of schadenfreude can be, no real estate investor goes into this business wanting their own horror story.

If you want to lose your mind, try to keep up with all the predictions being made about the real estate market. Doing so is exhausting. Even if some interpretations and predictions have merit, they’re just that – predictions. In many ways, the headlines are designed to scare us. Navigating news on the real estate market is frustrating: full of mixed messages and emotionally charged rhetoric.

And for every opinion you see, you’ll find one to counter it. 

So, how do we move forward without fear as real estate investors? After all, we don't have time to be paralyzed by every doom-and-gloom headline. You're in luck - here are the secrets to fearless real estate investing.

Maybe you’re new to this real estate investment thing. You’ve heard about a “buy and hold” strategy, and you’re wondering… how long do you really have to hold a property? Many of our investors are in it for the long haul, but even buy-and-hold investors know the value of a good exit strategy.

Traditionally, investors have looked upon owning far-away rental properties with suspicion. It seemed impossible to own and manage a property that was hours away from you. In today’s hyper-connected world, these impossibilities have disappeared. If work can be done remotely, why can’t investing in real estate?

How would you describe yourself as a real estate investor? We’d hope you’d use descriptors like diligent, ambitious, successful, and driven. Unfortunately, though, not all investors have such sterling reputations. While there are many things you can be as a real estate investor, the one descriptor you want to avoid is sloppy or careless.

The build-to-rent (BTR) model has gained momentum over the past several years for good reason. This strategy, which builds new properties with the explicit intention to rent them out rather than sell them to homebuyers, helps bridge the affordability gap between would-be homebuyers and new construction.

There comes a time when every investor must grow their portfolio from one investment property to two. Portfolio growth is the path to passive wealth! No one can expect to build worthwhile passive income with only one investment property. But how do you know it’s time to scale up – and when you’re ready, what do you do?

In real estate, location is everything. Whether you’re determining where to invest for the first time, where to expand your portfolio, or whether or not your current markets are still best suited for investment growth, you need a set of clear guidelines and metrics to follow.

When it comes to investing in real estate, getting started is the hardest part. This has always been true, but it’s even more evident in an economic climate that puts homeownership out of reach for so many. If you can barely afford to buy your own home, how can you begin to consider saving up to invest in real estate?

Due diligence is a simple concept to understand but challenging to execute. It’s anticipating and mitigating risk, gathering accurate facts and data for informed decision-making, and doing your best to ensure you’re building your wealth and managing risk exposure.