Should You Invest In Rental Real Estate?

Are you considering investing directly in rental real estate? With many people increasingly concerned about both stock and bond market valuations, you’re not alone. First, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of becoming a landlord:

Income: With stocks and bonds both yielding about 2%, one of the main benefits of real estate is the ability to generate significant income without having to sell your investment. It’s possible to generate high single to low double digit returns on your cash even with a mortgage.

Inflation protection: Not only can real estate provide good income, it’s income that naturally keeps pace with inflation. Inflation can also increase the value of real estate and reduce the real burden of mortgage debt over time. For these reasons, it can be a great way to hedge against the possibility of rising inflation, which generally hurts both stocks and bonds.

Leverage: Historically, real estate appreciation plus rental income has underperformed stock appreciation plus dividend income. What gives real estate an advantage is the ability to benefit from the leverage of purchasing it with borrowed money at relatively low interest rates. For example, if you put down 20% on a $100k property and it appreciates 3%, you actually earn a 15% return ($3k of appreciation divided by the $20k you put down). Of course, you can buy stocks on margin but margin rates are higher and are not tax deductible. You could also be forced to sell your stocks while they’re low to satisfy a margin call.

Tax advantages: Real estate also comes with a lot of tax advantages. First, you can deduct costs such as the mortgage interest, property taxes, and depreciation from your taxes and even use excess “losses” to reduce your other taxes. If you sell a property, you can defer the capital gains tax by reinvesting the proceeds in another one. When you pass away, your heirs can inherit the property and sell it without having to pay any tax on all the appreciation during your lifetime.

Control: You can add additional value to real estate by purchasing a property you believe will appreciate faster than the overall market (the real estate market is much less efficient than the stock market so there are more opportunities to profit from superior knowledge), making improvements, and managing it yourself.

However, real estate is not for everyone. There are some important challenges to be aware of too. Before taking the plunge, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do you have to have a good credit score and debt/income ratio? Ideally, you’ll want a credit score above 740 and total debt payments (including future mortgage payments) of no more than 43% of your gross income. If you’re not there, take steps now to improve and protect your credit score and to pay down your debt. Otherwise, you’ll get a higher mortgage rate or you may not even be able to qualify for a mortgage at all. If you have the cash, you can purchase real estate without a mortgage but you lose the benefits of leverage.

Do you have enough savings? A 20% down payment will help you avoid having to pay for PMI (private mortgage insurance) but a 25-30% down payment is often needed to qualify for the best rates on an investment property. You may also need another 2-5% for closing costs. If you don’t have that, start saving now. Keep in mind that you’ll also need savings for emergencies after the purchase, including maintenance and repair costs and covering the mortgage during vacancies.

Do you have time and patience? Sites like Roofstock are making it easier, but buying direct real estate isn’t as easy as buying a mutual fund. You’ll likely have to spend a lot of time researching and looking at properties and may not get your first, second, or even third choice. Even once you have a signed contract, expect lots of phone calls, emails, and paperwork to complete the transaction.

Do you know how you’ll manage the property? The first method makes it a business/part-time job. The second is an additional expense that can cut into your returns.

What tax bracket are you in? While there are lots of tax breaks from owning direct real estate, the rental income is subject to your ordinary income tax rate, which is higher than the tax on qualified stock dividends. One way to avoid this is to invest more for appreciation than income while you’re working and in a high tax bracket. Another is to purchase real estate in a self-directed IRA, which can grow to be tax-deferred or tax-free, but that comes with its own complications.


Are you okay having your money tied up? You can’t generally sell real estate as fast as you can a stock or mutual fund and transaction costs can be high. You can take out a line of credit to borrow against any equity you have, but that still needs to be paid back.

Do you have a high risk tolerance? People often think that real estate is less risky than stocks. With an individual stock, you could lose all the money you invested, but with a rental property, you can actually lose more than you put in. After all, you’re on the hook for maintenance costs and mortgage payments even if you don’t have a paying tenant. If you sell it at a loss, leverage can work against you as you can end up not just losing your down payment but also possibly being stuck with an underwater property.

Like any investment, real estate has its pros and cons. The important thing is to go into it with both eyes open. It’s not just location, location, location. It’s also education, education, education.

(https://www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2017/08/09/should-you-invest-in-rental-real-estate/#4c46e61f5c15)#RealEstate
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Should I Sell My Home Now or Wait Until the Spring?

Here are several reasons why choosing to sell your home now may be a better decision than waiting until the spring:

Less Competition
One way that you can tell the spring real estate market has arrived is by driving down a street in your local community. In all likelihood there will be For Sale signs up all over the neighborhood! One great reason to sell your home now and not wait until the spring market is there is sure to be less competition. The fewer number of comparable homes for sale, the greater the probability that a buyer will look at your home.

Simply put, it’s the supply and demand theory. If there are less homes for sale, there are less homes that a potential buyer can choose from, therefore increasing the demand for your home. Not only will less competition increase the probability for showings, but it will also increase the probability that an offer will be received and you will get the maximum amount of money for your home.

Serious Buyers Are Out There
Homes are sold and bought 365 days a year, period! Many homeowners believe that buyers aren't out there during the fall and winter months. This simply is not the case. Serious buyers are always out there! Some buyers may stop their home search because it is the fall or winter, but serious buyers will continue to look at homes, no matter what time of year it is.

The fall and winter months are also a great time for a potential buyer to see what a specific neighborhood is like. Do your neighbors have pumpkins on their front step? Are there lots of Trick-or-Treaters wandering the neighborhood on Halloween? Do any of your neighbors have any light displays for the holidays? There are buyers out there who will look at these types of things when determining whether your home is in the right neighborhood for them or not.

The Best Agents Are Always Up To The Challenge
Any real estate agent who tells you that the fall or winter months are a bad time to sell is not someone you want selling your home! A great real estate agent will know how to adapt to the current season and market their listings to reflect that. A great real estate agent can make suggestions and give some of their tips on how to sell a home during the fall or winter seasons. If a real estate agent doesn't have any suggestions on making your home more desirable for the current season, you should be concerned about the creativity they are going to use when marketing your home.

Staging For The Holiday Season
Many sellers believe staging a home is the main reason a home sells. While staging certainly helps sell homes, some buyers have a difficult time envisioning themselves in a home no matter what you do. However, there are some buyers who can easily be "sold" on a home because it is staged. Simple “seasonal” staging such as adjusting the color of the decor or having an aroma in the air that is relative to the time of year can go a long way with some potential buyers and possibly be the difference between a home selling or not.

Mortgage Rates Are Low
If you've read about real estate in the past year, it's likely you've read that the mortgage rates are very low. You also probably read that there is an expectation that the rates will increase very soon. Since mortgage rates are so low right now, buyers are able to afford more expensive homes. If mortgage rates increase over the fall and winter months while you're waiting for the spring market, it could cost you thousands of dollars as it could eliminate many buyers from the real estate marketplace! Less demand for your home will mean less money. Bottom line: take advantage of selling your home while the rates are this low.

Quicker Transactions
Right now, there are fewer real estate transactions than there will be in the spring. The fewer number of transactions means the mortgage lenders have less loans to process, attorneys have less closings to do, and home inspectors have fewer inspections to do. All of these factors should lead to a quicker transaction and closing for all the parties involved. One of the most frustrating things for a seller to deal with while selling their home is not getting answers in a reasonable amount of time. A quicker transaction is going to be less stress for you.

By considering all of the reasons above, you will be able to determine whether now is a good time to sell or if you should wait until the spring.

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Foreign Buyers Impact Luxury Coastal Cities, Not Overall U.S. Housing Market

Miami still receives dominant share of foreign residential buyers each year

According to the newly released 2017 Q2 Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, international buyers of residential real estate in the U.S. don't have a significant impact on the overall housing market. They are far more influential at the top end of the market.

The quarterly survey, sponsored by Zillow and conducted by Pulsenomics LLC, asked more than 100 housing experts and economists about the impact of international buyers on the U.S. real estate market. Overall, international buyers have a modest effect on inventory and home values, according to the panelists. At the high end of the market, though, the respondents said international buyers have a major impact on home values.

The National Association of Realtors also reported last week that during 2016 foreign U.S. home buyers:

Purchased $102.6 billion of residential property from April 2015-March 2016, a decrease from $103.9 billion in the previous 12-month period.
Purchased 214,885 residential properties, an approximately three percent increase from 208,947 in the previous 12-month period.
Foreign buyers typically purchase more expensive properties.
Although foreigners purchased property nationwide, five states accounted for 51 percent of total residential property purchases: Florida (22 percent), California (15 percent), Texas (10 percent), Arizona (four percent), and New York (four percent).
Since the housing crash, housing affordability has been a significant issue for many Americans. Rapidly increasing rents had the dual effect of financially incentivizing homeownership and making it harder to save for a down payment. At the same time, lagging new construction and high negative equity rates have kept inventory low, pushing up home values and making it harder to find an affordable home. Increased activity from international buyers of U.S. real estate has also fueled concerns about affordability.

Most of the panelists surveyed expect that international buying activity will decrease or stay at the same level in the coming year, signaling that outside influences aren't likely to be the most significant driver of the U.S. housing market over the next year.

Expectations for overall home price growth are stronger now than they were a year ago. A year ago, panelists predicted that home prices would rise 3.4 percent in 2017. Now, they expect to see a 4.8 percent increase. Their forecasts for home price growth in 2018 are also more optimistic now compared to last year.

"International buyers are popular scapegoats for rising real estate prices and shrinking inventory, but domestic factors have had a bigger influence on the housing market, much more so than demand from overseas," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Older millennials are reaching prime homebuying age, increasing demand for housing, but we are still well behind historical norms when it comes to building new homes. The fact that economists and experts are revising their expectations upward for future home value growth is a sign that these trends will continue to exert upward pressure on prices going forward."

Some cities with expensive housing markets - including Vancouver, Canada, Paris, and Sydney - have introduced policies in attempts to limit international home buying activity, However, most panelists agreed these measures are unlikely to affect housing affordability, or may even be counterproductive. Only about 20 percent of respondents think these policies are an effective response to improve housing affordability.

"On the heels of last year's nearly seven percent national home value appreciation rate, the prospect that prices will increase less than five percent overall this year might be dispiriting to some," said Pulsenomics founder Terry Loebs. "Yet, 4.8 percent is not only well above the historical average annual gain, it's the most optimistic projection for 2017 that we've seen from our expert panel over the past five years. Although most pessimistic experts still expect a sharp slowdown to commence in 2018, even this group anticipates home values to increase an average of nearly four percent this year. Given these projections, it's a pretty safe bet that U.S. home equity growth will exceed $1 trillion for the sixth consecutive year, and continue to buttress consumer confidence and household spending in 2017, especially if more of today's renters can afford the transition to homeownership."