How appraisers determine how much a property is worth
Whether you want to buy or sell a property, the appraisal process can determine what decision you make.
In Texas, each County Appraisal district is required to do an appraisal of the properties within their district every 3 years.
It is also important to remember that the value of your property determines the amount of property taxes you will pay each year, so you really want to make sure that you get a fair appraisal, and being aware of how the process works and what techniques appraisers use can be really helpful.
You can find more information on how appraisal works and appraisal experts in your county in this link.
There are three main ways appraisers calculate the value of your property.
Market Approach
This approach evaluates the market in the area where the property is located and makes tweaks taking into account the differences between the properties. This means, they look at properties recently sold and based on a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), they make their appraisal after making adjustments depending on determining factors.
Income Approach
In this method, appraisers look at income and expense data to calculate the present worth of future benefits. Doing this, they try to determine how much a future investor would pay today for the possible revenue the property will generate in the future.
Cost Approach
This last method calculates how much it would cost to replace the building on the property with another building of equal utility with certain improvements. Depreciation, which is the process used to deduct the costs of buying and improving a rental property, is factored in and it is added to the value of the land.
Some other factors
Appraisers do take other things into account. This includes:
- The condition of the property both of the exterior and interior.
- The size of the property.
- The home improvements made.
If you feel overwhelmed and need guidance through the process, you can reach out to our experienced realtors and property managers that will happily help you through every step of the way!
Need help managing a property? Contact us today!
April – Rethink your strategy for finding new properties
Now that you have created the perfect routine, what is the next step? One of the keys to being successful in any industry is to keep innovating, and Real Estate isn’t the exception. To grow and prosper, it is important to find new ways to do business and to hunt for the best opportunities.
In today’s housing market, having a great offer is crucial. Here are our tips for finding the best properties to invest in:
Do a thorough inspection
Make sure the property is in the condition you need it to be, whether it is a fixer-upper or a turnkey property in prime condition. Take your time and do as many visits as you need to really be able to inspect every nook and cranny of the property. Some things to look out for are the HVAC system, the plumbing and the roof.
Don’t forget to also do some research on the area, do some rounds around the block to see local restaurants, attractions, schools, and ask questions about crime statistics, flooding risk and any other pertinent information.
Have patience
Don’t rush into buying a property just because you think you’ve spent too much time looking. Patience is really important when it comes to finding a property. See as many properties as you need to, but make sure it is the perfect option for you.
Do the math
Be really thorough when it comes to how much you can invest. Don’t get in over your head with a property you can’t afford or a property that will drown you with the repair or upgrade costs. Be decisive when you choose the property, but don’t jump into it before you are 100% confident about the property.
You may need to adjust your expectations as you go along through the process, but don’t lose hope! You will find the best property that fits perfectly with your needs and finances.
Have a clear purpose
Do you want to buy the property to lease? Do you want a vacation property? How long do you want to spend fixing it up? Have a clear idea about what you want and don’t stray from it. Stay within the range of what you can afford, how big of a project you want to take on and what you want to do with the property.
If you are thinking of investing long distance, you can see our suggestions on it here.
Not sure of how to start building an investment strategy? No problem! Reach out to us and we can help you get started.
Have a property you need help with? Contact us today!
Some Must Reads for Real Estate Investors: Multi-Family Edition
Real Estate investing can be a daunting industry to break into! Between determining how to obtain financing, picking a property, and figuring out how to get the best ROI (return on investment) there is so much to know and learn that it can be overwhelming to the point of discouragement. One of the best ways to learn about real estate investing is to read books written by investors and other experts.
Below is a list of some of the most popular books among multi-family real estate investors.
Multi-Family Millions: How Anyone Can Reposition Apartments for Big Profits
This book is often mentioned as one of the best books to get started in multifamily investing. It focuses on scaling up from single family residences into multifamily. He offers strategies for finding the properties, fixing or flipping them, and then selling them. It uses a step-by-step system for each part of the investment, which can be great to use as a starting point for creating your own efficient system.
Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate: How a Small Investor Can Make It Big
Crushing It in Apartments and Commercial Real Estate is a beginner’s guide to investing based on Murray’s experience bootstrapping his way from newbie investor to award-winning CEO of Washington Street Properties. Murray shares the secrets to his success through straightforward, actionable advice that will help you get started no matter what your experience level, or how much cash you have on hand. You’ll learn how to:
- Find and creatively finance commercial property
- Grow a portfolio without any help from outside investors and without taking on excessive debt
- Use your small-investor status as a competitive advantage over corporate investors
- Identify simple, practical ways to increase profits while keeping costs low
The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings
Whether you’re a first-time real estate investor or a seasoned professional, The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Now revised and expanded, this Second Edition includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand you’ll find profits easy to come by.
How To Create Wealth Investing In Real Estate: How to Build Wealth with Multi-Family Real Estate
This is not a book about flipping or wholesaling homes, its about investing in real estate that is a proven method for creating massive wealth.
This book is about how you can buy income producing real estate, protect your capital, and provide you and your family with passive while the property pays down debt and you wait for asset appreciation.
This book focuses on buying and holding income-producing multifamily properties to provide passive income to support you and your family. The author worked his way to nearly 1 billion in real estate holdings with 5,000 units and shares the tools he used to get there. It details how to properly evaluate a property and then secure bank financing for a secure long term investment.
How to Make Big Money in Small Apartments
How to Make Big Money in Small Apartments reveals the opportunities, strategies, myths, secrets, and internal obstacles for those considering investing in multifamily housing. Readers will discover step-by-step approaches for finding and qualifying deals, identifying buyers or investors, monetizing small apartment deals, and how to scale-up to larger apartment communities in a readily understandable format.
Sharing his experiences along with over forty case studies of other successful investors, Edwards offers a guidebook to success for every investor, instructing both beginners and professionals on how to make money by wholesaling, buying, and/or rehabbing apartment buildings without using their personal cash or credit.
Dive in to learn proven strategies for moving into the fast lane and making small apartment deals now.
Investing in Apartment Buildings: Create a Reliable Stream of Income and Build Long-Term Wealth
The author of 2 Years to a Million in Real Estate gives you a step-by-step plan you can follow to generate a business plan that scales up as you grow. He helps guide you through the initial deal finding, how to manage the properties, and then how to exit and roll the profits into your next deal. It will help you build your real estate portfolio so you have income-producing properties to rely on.
The Science Of The Deal: The DNA Of Multifamily & Commercial Real Estate Investing
From his roots in Hyderabad, India, to the heart of Texas, Shravan Parsi tells the story of his journey from pharmaceutical scientist to founder and CEO of successful real estate investment firm American Ventures. The secret to his investment success is like any science: a marriage between quantitative and qualitative facts, between abstract numbers and concrete action. Here Parsi outlines the technical information you need to learn how to invest in multifamily and commercial real estate, how to understand what makes a good potential investment, and when to walk away. In conversational style, the book shares ideas about how to identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks; how to learn from downsides as well as upsides; and how giving back to your community is as important to success as the right numbers. It’s wisdom that benefits any entrepreneur.
Do you have a property that you need help with? Contact us today!
