Investment Property
Buying your first investment property is a big deal. It is a huge asset for most individuals, and it requires work. Many individuals actually view owning a rental property as being more similar to a small business than an investment, because it involves customers (tenants) and vendors.
Investment Property
Buying your first investment property is a big deal. It is a huge asset for most individuals, and it requires work. Many individuals actually view owning a rental property as being more similar to a small business than an investment, because it involves customers (tenants) and vendors.
Investment Property
Buying your first investment property is a big deal. It is a huge asset for most individuals, and it requires work. Many individuals actually view owning a rental property as being more similar to a small business than an investment, because it involves customers (tenants) and vendors.
Buying Investment Property
We work with real estate investors to purchase real estate to generate cash flow, equity and diversify investment portfolios. Whether you’re a seasoned real estate investor or want to buy your first investment property you need local knowledge and extensive experience to secure the right properties that will cash flow. We employ strategies to buy right based on location and growth, find distressed property and early stage foreclosure properties. We will look at potential cash flow and expenses of the property including taxes and maintenance as well as compare rents of similar units in the area and review tenant occupancy to understand if the property is available with ongoing leases in place. We understand that owning rental property is part of an investors business plan and treat it as such.
If you’re ready to invest or re-invest here are some things to consider
Payment Strategy: Mortgage, Cash, Retirement fund, 1031 Exchange, Inheritance, Stock Options
Different purchase methods have different requirements. For example, a 1031 exchange requires specific time frames be met for identification and exchange of property. When using retirement funds often the money used for payment needs to be sent directly from the fund to escrow to avoid potential tax penalties. If a mortgage will be applied for, it must be a mortgage that allows the owner to lease the property after purchase. These are just a few examples of many requirements when purchasing investment property. It’s critical that you work with agents that understand the ins and outs of investment property as maximizing your investment dollars often depends on it.
Considering The Extra Expenses
Every property has items that the owner is ultimately responsible for. Below are some to think about when purchasing an investment property:
- Property Taxes
- Maintenance
- Repairs
- Service Calls
- Wear and Tear
- Landscaping
- Property Management
- Insurance
- Damage to the property
- Utilities
- Appliances
- Tenant Non-Payment
- Potential legal fees
- Depreciation
- Hold time
- Cost basis
- Tax Preparation
Calculating Your Return On Investment
Once total expenditure is derived the true test is return on investment. Use the below calculation to estimate your ROI.
First, take your total equity, and divide it by your annual return. You can calculate your annual return by doing the following:
Gross Income – Expenses (including mortgage payment) = Cash Flow
Cash Flow – Income Taxes + Principal Payment = Return
To calculate your return on investment = current equity / total return.
It is important to calculate this return annually, especially relative to other investments so you can compare your rental property’s performance. This is an essential calculation before buying any type of investment property.

Buying Investment Property
Buying your first investment property is a big deal. It is a huge asset for most individuals, and it requires work. Many individuals actually view owning a rental property as being more similar to a small business than an investment, because it involves tenants (customers) and vendors.
If you think you’re ready to take the plunge, here are some steps to consider…
The Mortgage
First, you need to answer the question: how much can I borrow? To figure this out, you can use a mortgage calculator and plug in the basic property information (price, loan amount, etc.). Since this is a rental property, it is important to remember that you need to look at buy to let mortgages, not just regular owner occupied mortgages.
What is different is that lenders of buy to let mortgages look more at the property as an investment rather than whether the owner can afford it. This means that the lender will look at the potential cash flow and expenses of the property. They will most likely also compare rents of similar units in the area, and may even ask for a lease to be signed before underwriting begins.
Once you figure out the mortgage, it is important to look at the other costs.
The Extras
Every property is going to have the following that will need to be paid by the owner:
- Property Taxes
- Maintenance
You can usually get the property taxes quoted from your local assessor’s office. As for maintenance, a landlord needs to budget for repairs to the property, as well as landscaping if necessary. These can add up each month, so carefully plot out the costs.
For some maintenance, you may be able to recover the costs from the security deposit of the tenant if the damage was caused by them. However, wear and tear is not usually covered by this, and you will need to bank for it.
Other expenses can be covered by either the tenant or owner, and it depends on the situation:
- Utilities
The owner may want to pay for some utilities, such as water, because failure of the tenant to pay could damage the property, such as landscaping. Or, in circumstances where there are multiple units on one meter, the owner sometimes pays and includes utilities in the rent.
However, the tenant usually covers all expenses related to the interior of the unit, such as electricity or cable.
Calculating Your Potential Return
Once you’ve figure out your costs, and looked at the potential rent, the true test of any investment is the return on investment. Here is how you can break down the return on investment on a rental property:
First, take your total equity, and divide it by your annual return. You can calculate your annual return by doing the following:
Gross Income – Expenses (including mortgage payment) = Cash Flow
Cash Flow – Income Taxes + Principal Payment = Return
To calculate your return on investment = current equity / total return.
It is important to calculate this return annually, especially relative to other investments so you can compare your rental property’s performance. For a buyer, this is an essential calculation before buying.

Buying Investment Property
We work with real estate investors to purchase real estate to generate cash flow, equity and diversify investment portfolios. Whether you’re a seasoned real estate investor or want to buy your first investment property you need local knowledge and extensive experience to secure the right properties that will cash flow. We employ strategies to buy right based on location and growth, find distressed property and early stage foreclosure properties. We will look at potential cash flow and expenses of the property including taxes and maintenance as well as compare rents of similar units in the area and review tenant occupancy to understand if the property is available with ongoing leases in place. We understand that owning rental property is part of an investors business plan and treat it as such.
If you’re ready to invest or re-invest here are some things to consider
Payment Strategy: Mortgage, Cash, Retirement fund, 1031 Exchange, Inheritance, Stock Options
Different purchase methods have different requirements. For example, a 1031 exchange requires specific time frames be met for identification and exchange of property. When using retirement funds often the money used for payment needs to be sent directly from the fund to escrow to avoid potential tax penalties. If a mortgage will be applied for, it must be a mortgage that allows the owner to lease the property after purchase. These are just a few examples of many requirements when purchasing investment property. It’s critical that you work with agents that understand the ins and outs of investment property as maximizing your investment dollars often depends on it.
Considering The Extra Expenses
Every property has items that the owner is ultimately responsible for. Below are some to think about when purchasing an investment property:
- Property Taxes
- Maintenance
- Repairs
- Service Calls
- Wear and Tear
- Landscaping
- Property Management
- Insurance
- Damage to the property
- Utilities
- Appliances
- Tenant Non-Payment
- Potential legal fees
- Depreciation
- Hold time
- Cost basis
- Tax Preparation
Calculating Your Return On Investment
Once total expenditure is derived the true test is return on investment. Use the below calculation to estimate your ROI.
First, take your total equity, and divide it by your annual return. You can calculate your annual return by doing the following:
Gross Income – Expenses (including mortgage payment) = Cash Flow
Cash Flow – Income Taxes + Principal Payment = Return
To calculate your return on investment = current equity / total return.
It is important to calculate this return annually, especially relative to other investments so you can compare your rental property’s performance. This is an essential calculation before buying any type of investment property.
