If your purpose is to make a lot of money and acquire wealth, having a thriving real estate investment is a way to go. Long-distance real estate investing is a subsidiary of real estate investments which in my personal opinion has a lot of benefits attached to it.
However, long-distance real estate investing has its complications that you might not encounter if you were investing in a property that is around your area.
In the article below, I will try and highlight all you need to know about long-distance real estate investing and why you should get involved in it if you can.
What is long-distance real estate investing?
Firstly, let’s take a good look at what long-distance real estate investing really is. As the name suggests, long distance real estate investing is basically when an investor chooses to buy an investment property in an area that isn’t close to them or isn’t in their residence.
The property to be invested in usually might be in another state or city. However, any investment that occurs in a different real estate market can be considered long-distance.
Anyone can really invest in long-distance real estate, but most at times it’s practiced by investors in high-priced markets like San Francisco or New York City who reside in these areas and as such investing in these markets might not seem as profitable which results in the push to invest in other cities or states.
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Why you should consider long distance real estate investing?
Investing in properties half a country away from you might sound weird but most of the time, depending on your location, it might serve as a lucrative source of wealth if done properly.
Below I have highlighted a couple of reasons why you might decide to get involved and invest in long-distance real estate.
1. Diversify Your Investments
Diversification is an essential part of the investment which helps reduce your risk. Investing in homes outside your local area reduces investment-related risks.
Assuming a natural disaster hits your town, you would want a life jacket that won’t be affected by the immediate tragedy of your local area, and long-distance real estate investing can give you that.
This puts you in a scenario similar to investing in different stocks.
2. Find Real Estate Today
With the aid of the internet and the numerous online real estate platforms, it is a whole lot easier to find properties halfway across the world. With the aid of virtual tours, there is no need to travel all the way to the site of your homes in person.
You can also get properties in great conditions with tenants already present. You can also take over the lease of the property and buy the property.
If you contract the right property managers, you can have your properties managed and start earning profits straight from the comfort of your home.
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3. Easily Determine Fair Market Rent
With the aid of technology, you can put up a fair market price on your properties. You can search for rent prices in the area your property is situated and get standard price information about the area.
You can also check on details like the area’s crime rate, school ratings, and workplace accommodations.
4. Conduct Your Own Sales Comparisons
At times, you would need to gather information about your property to help you make decisions.
There are a number of online platforms, including RoofStock which helps you determine the price of commodities in an area.
5. More Opportunities
With long distance real estate investing, you can rest assured that your real estate investment is in the right hands.
If you invest in your local area, chances are you’d handle the real estate yourself which entails you spending your time and resources to manage the property.
However, if you invest long distance, you would need to hire a property management company to do the work for you.
This gives you the freedom to perform other activities and find better prospects to add up to your portfolio
Reasons why long distance isn’t as risky as you think
You might be wary as to how freely you can manage your assets if they are so far away from you but you don’t really need to bother as much about that.
There are certain ways in which you could monitor your assets directly without having to be there in person. These are;
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1. The Internet
With the onset of the internet, the world as we know it is basically a small global village in which we can communicate as well as check up on our investments from the click of a button without hassle.
You can also find details and a lot of information on the internet to help you decide on the best-suited investment you should invest in and how best to manage already existing assets.
The internet has successfully changed the way long-distance investing is viewed by investors as a whole.
2. You Can Find Rent Estimates Easily
Websites are now available where you can make a preliminary rent search by simply inputting certain details about your property and getting a great idea of what to expect as regards renting the property.
You can also see rent prices by other property owners similar to yours and is in the same local as your property.
3. You Can Confirm the Condition of the property
With modern technology today and the development of smartphones, you don’t have to travel miles to check on your properties.
You can have an agent, wholesaler, property manager, and contractor who all send you videos of the interiors and exteriors of properties you might be interested in.
4. You can find out about the agent you’re using
You can also easily find out details about the agent handling your property with just a click of a button.
Search for real estate agents on a site called Zillow as well as find top producing realtors.
Zillow would also disclose information like how many deals they’ve done in the last 12 months and at that help you in choosing the right top agent for you.
5. You Can See Pictures Without Having to Ask for Them
With as simple as an internet search, you can get all the information you need on a property. You also get to see the property without stepping out.
Some online listing portals also include pictures of the interiors as well as the environment for the properties so you don’t have to worry about stepping out of the house and leaving your comfort zone all in a vane to see properties that you may or may not acquire.
However, you have to be cautious cause looks at times tend to be deceiving especially when they are pictures taken for the major purpose of advertisement.
Most times, it isn’t advisable to use online pictures as your reference point when considering a property.
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7. You Can Find Comps Yourself Online
Realtor, Trulia, and Zillow are all listing portals that allow you to search past sales and get a decent idea of what homes cost in the area you’re looking in. this is a great way to get a rough sketch of what you are getting involved in and basically help you determine if the area is the best fit for you.
However, for more accurate information as regards pricing and general information, you might wish to look up an agent which is familiar with the locale you wish to invest in and has a good track record of producing worthwhile real estate investments.
Online portals can never take the place of this one-on-one human touch which is most at times needed in the real estate business especially when it’s a long-distance real estate investment.
Frequently asked questions
Long-distance real estate investing is basically when an investor chooses to buy an investment property in an area that isn’t close to them or isn’t in their residence.
Real estate investing involves the purchase, ownership, management, rental, and/sale of real estate for profit.
You can make use of a list of online listing portals that are available or get a real estate agent who can help you out with scouting for the right investment for you.
There is a number of reasons why you should consider long-distance real estate investing which are:
Diversify Your Investments
Find Real Estate Today
Easily Determine Fair Market Rent
Conduct Your Own Sales Comparisons
More Opportunities
It is not just possible but pretty easy and quite stress-free, all you need is to get yourself on the right listing portal or a good agent and you are well on your way to owning properties far and wide.
Conclusion
Long-distance real estate investing is not a bad idea.
With improvements and technological advancements there is basically nothing to fear as it relates to real estate investing cause no matter how far you are from your investment, you can always access it with just your smartphone.
Seeing the needs and management of your investments has never been easier in this new era.
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