Real estate is one of the best investment vehicles in the world to make money. The versatility of real estate truly provides an opportunity to invest in a variety of different ways. No matter your background, experience, or financial situation, there is a way for anybody to get started in real estate today.

Why invest in real estate? Did you know in the last two centuries, over 90% of the world’s millionaires have been created by real estate? When it comes to investing in real estate, there are multiple different ways for investors to make money in real estate. Examples include passive income through rentals, appreciation from property prices increasing, flipping, and so many more creative ways. No matter your style or risk tolerance, real estate will present a way to make money to match your goals.

Fix and Flip

One of the most common ways investors make money in real estate is through fix and flips. In a nutshell, the goal is to purchase a home in disrepair below market price, remodel and fix up the home, and then put it back on the market to sell for a hefty profit. Savvy investors can scale their business to accommodate over 100 flips per year. The average gross profit from a flip is about $62,700. Multiply that by any number of flips and you can see why so many investors are interested in fix and flips. A best practice is to buy in appreciating markets where the forced appreciation from fixing the home can also ride the demand within the market. When analyzing deals, you’ll want to use comparable homes to understand what the potential price can be of your fix and flip. Consider factors based on your market. In certain markets, the value of the home may judge more on the square footage of the home. In others, it depends on the renovations more than the square footage. Look for opportunities for improvement. Can you add a bathroom or bedroom? Also, remodeling kitchens are more important than the actual bedrooms. Many different strategies go into a fix and flip. Just understand that ultimately, your knowledge of the market and your ability to secure a deal under the market will help increase your chances of completing a successful flip.

Buy and Hold

Another popular way to invest in real estate is through buying and hold rentals. This involves purchasing a property to rent out either for the short run or long term. Through buy and hold real estate, an investor can generate passive income by collecting rent each month. The way you make money is when buying the property, your expenses should be lower than what you are renting for. Anything in between your expenses and the rental rate is your profit. Let’s say you buy a house for $150,000 and your monthly expenses that include mortgage, taxes, and insurance equal to about $1,000. You rent the house for $1,300. The net cash flow that you collect is $300 a month after everything. That’s $3,600 a year just from one investment. Again, multiply that number by the number of properties you’d like to own, and that number grows rapidly. At the same time, if you have a mortgage on the home, your home, each money you are gaining equity as you pay down the principal. Another includes appreciation. Real estate typically grows at a rate of 3.0% or higher depending on the market. Over time your initial investment will be worth more. For those investors interested in passive income, Buy and Hold is a fantastic strategy to make money in real estate.

REIT

If buying real estate directly is not your interest, another possible way to still take advantage of earning an income from real estate without owning is buying into a REIT. A REIT is a real estate Investment Trust. You can buy a REIT the same way you would buy a stock which makes it more appealing to some investors. Usually, publicly-traded real estate investment companies that buy different real estate assets are what makeup REITs. The advantage of buying a REIT is that they offer a high rate of return in the form of dividends. Some REITs even payout monthly. It is not uncommon to find a REIT that pays out over 5% return in the form of a dividend. The cash flow these companies generate from their rentals is passed onto their investors. However, unlike stocks, REITs typically don’t appreciate the way that stocks like Apple and Tesla do. Be wary that if you are looking to double or triple your money, a REIT probably is not the solution for you. That said, if you are looking to park your money and generate some form of passive income, a REIT may be a type of real estate investing that you may want to take a look at. One other benefit behind a REIT is the barrier of entry. The fact is, as long as you have an account to buy stocks and REITs on, you can buy individual shares of a REIT and slowly grow your account. This is great for beginners that are looking for some form of cash flow.

Where To Start?

If you want to make money in real estate, consider investing in yourself and doing what it takes to learn about real estate. Additionally, you’ll want to get your finances in order as that is critical when it comes to buying real estate. Look into the different ways to invest in real estate and see which approach aligns best with your lifestyle and risk tolerance. Not everybody has the time to invest in flips and manage a rehab. Understanding which style of investing matches your goals is important before getting started. Speak to a few experts and gain some additional insight. Before long, you too can be making money through real estate.