One of the first things that you must do to get started as a real estate investor is to know what is taking place in your market. You must know what is happening in your market so that you can tailor your investing strategy to your market. You need to approach your real estate investing business as a business. Think about this idea for a moment…
When a new major retailer (Walmart, Home Depot etc.) is looking to open a brand new facility in the area, they will do market research beforehand. They are going to do some demographic research to see if the store would be able to sustain itself before they move forward. In a similar manner, you are going to need to do a little bit of research to ensure that you are using the right techniques with your real estate investing business.
Once you know what is happening in your market, you can adjust your strategy accordingly. Based on what is going on in your area, will seller financing be a good strategy? What about wholesaling or lease options? Each of these strategies are more effective under certain market conditions and when you align your strategy with your market conditions, you will increase your success significantly.
So, the real key is to know which indicators will provide you with the most useful information.
Key Indicators
Jobs – Employment s a key factor that drives the crowdfunding real estate platforms hong kong market. Generally speaking, people will want to live nearby their employment. So, as jobs are moving into an area, this will increase the demand for housing and rentals. If the area does not have many jobs coming in, you will also see a decreased demand. Since the real estate market is controlled by supply and demand, the number of jobs coming in to an area gives you a very good idea of the demand. You have to know this to know what is going on in your area.
You can obtain a lot of information from the city planner. They can tell you about new companies that are moving into the area, how many jobs they are creating, and the income range for those jobs. This is valuable information to have as a real estate investor.
Occupancy Rate – A factor to understand the demand for rental properties in the area is the occupancy rate. Vacancy is a key factor to know whether rental properties are in demand in your area or not. This is another perfect example of why you must know your market prior to investing. If vacancy rates are very high for your area, investing in rental properties is probably not the best idea for you. You would have a harder time finding a tenant. The property would be vacant for a while and you would continue to make mortgage payments. This is why it is critical for you to start your investing business by knowing your market. This will save you a lot of time, money, and heartache later on.
Property management companies are a good place to obtain occupancy rates. Call them and let them know that you are an investor and considering several properties in the area. They will see you as a potential client and they will usually be happy to provide you with the information that you are seeking. Another alternative is to look in the newspaper each week to see the homes for rent section. Over time, this section will give you an idea of what the demand for rentals is for your market.