There are strong pros and cons to buying multifamily property as a first-time investor. By understanding them, you can make a more informed decision. In this article we discuss both the pros and the cons.

Multifamily can mean duplex, triplex, quadplex or a complete apartment block. Any property with more than five units is considered commercial rather than residential, so loans may be more difficult to obtain, and finding and managing a large number of tenants requires experience, skills, and abilities many first-time investors do not have. Let us begin with the investor, then move on to the property.

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.

The California real estate market is full of properties of all sizes, from tiny up to massive mansions. To some real estate investors, smaller properties hold the most interest. This is likely due to the relatively low investment required to purchase and remodel the home so it's market ready. However, there are three things to look for when reviewing a small property vs a larger property.

Every real estate investment deal comes with its own set of unique challenges that buyers have to overcome. Three common issues buyers in California face are lack of capital, tight deadlines and slim profit margins. For most, that's part of the allure. These individuals thrive on the adrenaline rush that comes from turning an investment property into profit quickly and with as little capital as possible.

Although most schools are back in session there are still people who are seeking out rental properties, while others are looking for a home to purchase. As a real estate investor, you should certainly be aware of the importance of the end of summer real estate opportunities. Just keep in mind that as Labor Day approaches, you need the flexibility and knowledge to act with purpose at just the right moment. Whether you're a fix and flip investor, or you prefer to fix and hold, there are three ways to take advantage now.

Things have come a long way since the housing bubble crash of 2008 and the years following, when around 80% of homes on the market were foreclosures. It was a golden time for house flipping. That's mostly not the case now, so home flipping definitely has some challenges. Those challenges increase in areas like Southern California, where home prices are higher than the average in most parts of the country.

You can make money by investing in a fixer-upper and fixing it up in any state in the country. However, some states offer better opportunities for investors than others. For example, once you learn why California is a great opportunity for fix and flippers, you might be interested in investing in property in this great state.

Whether you are a real estate investor who prefers to fix and flip houses, or a landlord who prefers to use rental properties for long-term passive income, working with contractors is simply a part of doing business. In the real estate investment world, however, horror stories abound about contractors who have turned potentially lucrative property deals into complete disasters. As a real estate investor, it is important to know how to avoid these situations altogether. Here are 4 ways to avoid having contractor horror stories of your own.

By no means do I consider myself an expert in real estate analysis, however, I do know enough to be dangerous. Over the past five years, I have discovered several tools that have given me more confidence in analyzing real estate deals. In my experience, there is no other online tool as valuable as Propertyradar.com. Here are 5 features within the Propertyradar.com software that I consistently utilize over any other real estate evaluation tool:

If you are interested in investing in real estate, you might have thought about purchasing a fixer-upper and "flipping it." If you have been putting it off, you should know that there are a few reasons why now is the ultimate time to get a fix and flip loan.