I’ve been very happy to see that over the last 5 to 6 years, the mortgage lending guidelines have relaxed a good bit which makes homeownership more achievable for a larger number of people.

With those more normalized guidelines, also comes opportunity for those that are interested to break into the investing world with very little cash out of pocket.

We all know that nearly ALL massively successful and wealthy people have given credit to real estate for a large percentage of their empire. It seems that every time you read an article about a multi-millionaire, they’ll talk about how they started with just one or two rental properties and leveraged off of that to generate a huge portfolio of properties and millions of dollars. I’m sure you’ve seen those articles yourself.

The problem is that it can be scary if you are venturing into something you’ve never done before. After all, you certainly don’t want to make a mistake or get into something that costs you money.

That’s why you use a professional advisor! As a licensed real estate pro, we look at these things all day - every day. We’ve worked with new investors as well as seasoned pro’s so we know what makes the most sense and how to get started in the right direction. One thing I’ve always leaned on when discussing real estate investments is that absolutely EVERY SINGLE ONE of the wealthy individuals I’ve spoken to or learned from said that the one regret they have is that they didn’t start earlier. All of them let fear stand in the way of them acquiring their first transaction.

Many times, I hear that people simply didn’t realize that investments were so attainable. They thought that they’d need a huge down payment and a 750 credit score or some other unknown requirements that would keep them from qualifying. That’s not the case.

Lending guidelines change all the time, but it’s always been exciting to me to see that someone can acquire an investment property with a minimal down payment and nearly “average” credit. Best of all, they can earn a positive cash flow each month to give them some extra money but in the meantime, that tenant is buying down the mortgage so that you’ll eventually own that home free and clear!

We’ve heard from some families that are just looking to acquire a couple of rental houses so that they can leave something for their children once they pass on several years (hopefully decades!) down the road. It’s a nice little surprise for your children to find out that you left a house to them that’s owned free and clear and is consistently bringing in a large rental check every month!

Fortunately, these are things that can be done in a far away distant area and they require NONE of your own labor or time. Remember, it’s always smarter to use a property manager so you never have to lift a finger.

Let the professionals handle it and you just cash the checks each month while watching your equity position grow!

My job is to help your family in making smart moves in real estate. Want to chat about it?