One of the most simple, and overlooked, ways to increase ROI (return on investment) on rental properties is hiring a quality property manager. He will do this by increasing occupancy rates, finding dependable tenants, saving money on maintenance costs, and most importantly – providing peace of mind. If you are looking to improve your business, it is time to hire a manager or find a new one. Diligence is important: take the time and effort to interview and search for the right person. Here are five important areas to investigate:

As a small balance real estate entrepreneur, we should always pay attention to factors that positively or negatively affect our bottom line. I am of the opinion that the people I choose to work with can have the biggest impact on a deal's profit or loss. No matter your experience level as a real estate entrepreneur, it is important to constantly be evaluating your team and the ways in which you can improve. I find it most helpful to hear from industry professionals about the issues they are dealing with. The following 3 websites have been instrumental in helping me to identify who the industry professionals are within my Southern California investment property market. These websites have allowed me to develop business relationships that are key to my real estate investment business.

Investing in real estate is a time-consuming process that requires a lot of effort on your part. It's worth it if you do it right but in order to make a successful profit from real estate you need some assistance. A smart investor uses every tool available that will help make success more attainable. There are several good investment tools that can help, but here are a few of the top 2016 real estate investing tools for California hard money borrowers.

Fixing and flipping houses seems like a pretty straightforward process from the outside. All you really have to do is find a distressed property, put time and money into renovating it, and then sell or rent it out. However, it's not that simple, in fact, it's a much more complicated process than most people think. There are many things that can go wrong; however, there are three things that can turn a renovation into a nightmare. Successful flippers understand this risk, and work diligently to avoid these scenarios at all cost.

Curb appeal sells houses, and great curb appeal sells houses fast. Before you list your fix and flip property, make sure you are getting the maximum return on your investment by paying attention to the exterior of the home. If you need some guidance on the best way to spend your money and still get the features your buyers want, check out this list of the top 3 front yard features Californians are looking for.

If you want to see what's hot on the market, it pays to look at what's happening on college campuses. Only last week, the results of the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon were published. The contest centered on sustainable home building, and one of the competitors was based right here in Southern California. Team Orange County focused their project on the specific challenges in the Southern California real estate market, and their design points out several home features that California investors love.

D­-Class properties are homes or apartments located in neighborhoods considered "bad" or unsafe.

These properties are usually run-­down or even outright decrepit, and require a considerable amount of work to achieve livable standards. Though these properties may seem like a good investment because of their cheap prices, here are five reasons to avoid D-­Class properties.

In an uncertain economy, it's easy to find homes that have been foreclosed, sold at rock bottom prices to help cover other debts, or homes that have been left sitting empty and untended for so long that they now need a little bit of help to become a livable property. Read our five criteria for identifying a profitable rehab property to determine whether or not this is a venture that could be successful for you.

The value of your property can be seen in three primary pieces, each of which need to be considered when trying to understand the value as a whole.

Probate properties are the existing real estate assets of a larger estate that must be sold off to pay the deceased person's debt or distributed among the closest living relatives, depending on specific state laws. In most cases, real estate goes into probate court if the deceased died without a will designating who would get what.