Advice for a New Investor entering this Sizzling Market

Advice for a New Investor entering this Sizzling Market

New to Real Estate · San Diego, CA · Member since 2017 · 12 posts · 5 votes

As an investor who is aiming to acquire my first property by the end of the year, I am currently performing analysis to select an out-of-state market. Based on my research, every area that I'm looking to invest in appears to be "red-hot". There appears to be a lot of factors that are currently (and have been) contributing to the high demand for houses and the lack of inventory, such as rock bottom interest rates, the pandemic encouraging people to move from the cities and purchase homes, etc. With all that said, I personally believe that some of the factors that have led to the high demand will start to not be as favorable, as interest rates (and mortgage rates) have already begun to rise (and I think they will continue to rise) and the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine could potentially at least decrease the amount of teleworking as people return to the office. Keeping in mind that every market is different and there are creative ways to buy properties for below market value, I was curious what the seasoned investor thinks about the current macro picture and how/if that is influencing your buying decisions currently? 

Although I'm anxious to buy my first property, it seems like a good time to continue educate myself, and maybe it's not a bad thing to educate and really learn a market until the winter, when (and if) the market cools off a bit. Appreciate any thoughts on this. Thanks! 

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  • Brandon SturgillBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Columbus, OH · Member since 2013 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y

    @Chris West this is just a personal decision, but looking at macro anything is the worst possible thing you can do unless you are syndicating large MF properties...there are a lot of other metrics that matter much more than ROI numbers...the irony is that if you are buying small MF properties, none of the ROI figures you come up worth will ever be used to determine the value of the property you purchase.

    So, I dissent from 99% of investors and think that investing for cash flow is a bad idea because you will analyze yourself out of every popular market. Do you need cash flow now or do you have a job that provides income...if you have income, the goal is to use the rental income to accelerate the debt paydown or improve the condition of the property....be in it for the long run and take equity over cash flow...that means purchasing a property that covers debt service and operating expenses is a win in any city in America....

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  • Peter MckernanBusiness Member
    Residential Real Estate Agent · Irvine, CA · Member since 2013 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Chris West:

    As an investor who is aiming to acquire my first property by the end of the year, I am currently performing analysis to select an out-of-state market. Based on my research, every area that I'm looking to invest in appears to be "red-hot". There appears to be a lot of factors that are currently (and have been) contributing to the high demand for houses and the lack of inventory, such as rock bottom interest rates, the pandemic encouraging people to move from the cities and purchase homes, etc. With all that said, I personally believe that some of the factors that have led to the high demand will start to not be as favorable, as interest rates (and mortgage rates) have already begun to rise (and I think they will continue to rise) and the rollout of the covid-19 vaccine could potentially at least decrease the amount of teleworking as people return to the office. Keeping in mind that every market is different and there are creative ways to buy properties for below market value, I was curious what the seasoned investor thinks about the current macro picture and how/if that is influencing your buying decisions currently? 

    Although I'm anxious to buy my first property, it seems like a good time to continue educate myself, and maybe it's not a bad thing to educate and really learn a market until the winter, when (and if) the market cools off a bit. Appreciate any thoughts on this. Thanks! 

    A some things I would look at in any city.

    1. Infrastructure

    2. Economy and sources of jobs

    3. Extrinsic value of the area not just a nice home

    4. Cashflow/value add

    If you use these as the cornerstone of your search you will be in a good position even when you think that the market is super hot. Infrastructure means: roads, airports, public transit, city support, etc. Economy means: there is not just one source of jobs (i.e. there is one Google secondary location there) you need multiple sources tech, fin., real estate, construction, distribution, etc. Extrinsic value, goes back to city support, schools locally, grocery stores, etc. Do not focus on the house being nice and on one great street. Cashflow (do not count on appreciation from your position) and value add, can you get a house fix it up add SF and make it worth more in a month or a year and increase the current rent on it too. 

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