Knowing that so many of our readers are not just real estate investors.  Many are entrepreneurs and small business owners s well and we thought this was a great article to publish this week.  2015 is starting with a bang and as unbelievable as it sounds....January is already half way gone!  So this article is all about big decisions and big improvements and how to make both!

There’s no denying that Houston, TX is a cool place.Between it’s booming local economy, legacy of space travel and melting pot population, Houston is doing pretty well for itself. For businesses, entrepreneurs, young graduates — and, you guessed it — real estate investors, Houston is the place to be!

Our TEAM at Memphis Invest began looking for a third market two years ago.  Dallas, TX. has been an incredible market for our company over the past few years and continues to perform very well for our clients.  For our next step and the growth of our company, we really wanted to stay in a state where we were already licensed, highly familiar with the market and there had to be compelling reasons to open the new office.

I found this infographic earlier this week at The Commission Place and kept reading and reading about this topic.  I wanted to share it with all of our readers - many of whom are in this key demographic.

Millennials are changing the face of real estate as the next generation of buyers have not come out from under student loan debt to become first home buyers.  So who is going to buy property?  That is being left to the baby boomers (down sizing) and the Millennials (moving up).

When we as real estate investors turn our eyes to a new region to invest in, it’s important for us to investigate the area. After all, we’re putting a lot of time, energy and capital towards real estate investing — shouldn’t we know what we’re getting into?

Investing in real estate can very easily become a full-time job. As we’ve talked about before, a truly “hands off” investor is a myth. Real estate investment is a business and a job — and what you put into it is often what you get out of it. Investors have to follow up on leads, check in with their staff, keep up with real estate news and statistics, create strategies, deal with banks and agents and contractors…

It can be a big job!

Memphis Invest, GP Hits 500 Closings!

500 is a big number for us.  Yes, we have been on INC Magazines 500/5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies In America list for three straight years...but, that is not the 500 I am talking about or even wanting to brag on our company for.  This is a very unique, family-owned company with a strong culture and now over 50 full time team members.  We are providing services to close to 900 real estate investors and are managing just under 2,700 properties in three cities.  These are all incredible milestones, but none of them are the number we are wanted to celebrate our team for.

When it comes to real estate investment, it’s vital to be well-informed. It can be incredibly daunting, because there’s a lot that real estate investors need to know in order to be successful in this business. In many cases, you can afford to make a few mistakes while adjusting to the learning curve — but not when it comes to matters of the law.

We had the pleasure of participating in the Best Real Estate Investing Advice Ever podcast hosted by Joe Fairless this week and had a great time talking real estate investing with Joe.  There are not a ton of great real estate investing podcasts online today.  They are really a mixed bag as far as the content and the quality.    

Ah, Fall. Who doesn’t love fall? It comes with pumpkin spiced lattes, cozy sweaters, brilliance in the changing colors of the leaves and a sense of family togetherness. Fall is great — but real estate investors would do well to prep their investment properties for the season. We’re not just talking curb appeal, either (although that is one of the steps for you to consider)— whether you're selling a property or looking for new tenants, there’s plenty you can do to stand out this season.

A little work can go a long way to preventing vacancies or long listings on the MLS.  Here are 3 steps for you to consider this Fall if you have a property for rent or sale.

Greg Herlean is an expert on how American's can take control of their financial future.  He is also an experienced real estate investor and got his start in real estate investing by using his Self-Directed IRA.  His Self-Directed IRA provided him with control over the decisions he wanted to make in his IRA account.  

On a broader scale, a Self Directed IRA will allow you to diversify your portfolio, receive tax benefits, and increase your savings.  As the founder of Horizon Trust, Greg has an inside perspective on the strategies that self directed account holders are using successfully.