Top 10 Reasons to Start Investing in Real Estate in 2017

You’ve been thinking about investing in real estate, and it seems like a good choice for a long-term investment. But you, like millions of other people, keep putting off your purchase. “I’ll wait until prices are lower” is one of the most common reasons for not investing just yet.

The truth is that it’s good to buy low, and you should do your due diligence, but the longer you wait, the less likely you are to take the dive.

If you find yourself in this scenario, we’ve come up with ten reasons you need to invest in real estate now – not next year, but as soon as you financially can.

1. Security in Real Estate

There is security in buying real estate. You own a tangible investment, and if you need cash, you can sell the property in the future. And the longer you pay your mortgage on a property or you allow a piece of land to appreciate, the more money you’ll be able to enjoy.

You can also decide to build or live in a property you own – try doing that with a stock.

2. Wealth in the Long-Term

Long-term investments always provide the largest returns, and when you own a piece of real estate, this is a long-term investment that has the potential to double or triple in value over 20 – 30 years. This is a long-term investment that can set you up for retirement.

3. Pass Down the Property

If you have children, you probably want to help them in any way you can financially. You can pass down a property to heirs, or put it in a trust so that the property is used to make money for your heirs.

4. Leverage Real Estate to Build Wealth

After years of owning real estate, you’ll build equity in the property. You can leverage, or take a loan out against the piece of property, and this allows you to build more wealth. We’re seeing people do this all the time with rental properties.

A person will have a tenant that pays rent and pays the mortgage on the property for 10 years. And maybe you’ve paid $60,000 off on the home. Now you can take $20,000 out on the home and then use this to buy another piece of real estate. It’s the right way to leverage your investments to continue to make money in the long-term.

5. Equity Amortization

Equity in the property will continue to rise. This is a great feature of owning a piece of real estate. You’ll be paying money into the home every month, which means you’ll build equity in the home every month. If you need to sell the home in the future, the equity will allow you to take more of the profits from the home.

For example, you may start with a $200,000 loan, and you’ve paid $100,000 in the home so far. This means you have $100,000 in equity in the home. The bank can only come after you for $100,000 (or the remaining balance), and if you sell for $250,000, you’ll have at least $100,000 left after paying back the lender.

6. Real Estate is Tangible

You can’t touch a stock, and you have little control over what the managers behind the company you invested in do with the business. You’re powerless really. But you own real estate whether this is a home or a piece of land. You can remodel a rundown home and sell it for more, or you can work land to make a profit. As long as you continue to pay your taxes, you’ll be able to keep an investment you can touch, use and live on.

7. Tax Depreciation

There are tax advantages to owning a property, too. If you have a mortgage, you can write off the interest rate charged on your mortgage. You can also write off other expenses. Perhaps you rent a property. You can write off repairs or costs associated with the upkeep of the property.

The right accountant will allow you to save money on taxes due to your investment.

8. Cash Flow Potential

Everyone wants more money, and there is a lot of cash flow potential in real estate. You can rent a property and reap monthly income on it, you can work the land, or lease it to make money. There will always be value in real estate for the right investor.

Say you purchase a rental property on a few acres of land. You can rent the property, and in the future, you can build more homes to rent out. You won’t need to pay for the land since you own it, so it will be much cheaper, too.

9. Real Estate Appreciates

Real estate is an investment that will continue to appreciate in value. The United States census shows that between 1970 and 2000, real estate values appreciated from 80% - 300% percent, depending on the location. The population is growing and the demand for housing is increasing, too.

Land values also increased dramatically, which allows investors to reap profits from their investment. So, if you keep the investment for the long-term, the value will appreciate. Market appreciation will also increase. Say, for example, you purchase a piece of property in need of repairs. If you make these repairs, the value of the property will surely be higher.

10. Interest Rates Are Low

The issue with mortgage rates, and it’s one that has went under the radar for the most part, is that they have fallen over the past few months. Rates have fallen to near record lows.

And when mortgage rates are low, this is favorable for everyone involved – investment wise. Lower rates mean you can secure a mortgage for a fixer upper or rental property, and spend less on the loan during the lifetime of the loan. As interest rates are low, it’s better now than ever before to pick up a potential property and set yourself up for the future.