In today’s market, stocks and other “traditional” investments are fading from the safety zone as forecasts of the future become more and more obscure. As Americans’ trust in Wall Street seems to wane, surprisingly the one solid foundation we can go back to believing in is real estate. What has become blatantly clear for most savvy investors is that we are experiencing one of the most opportune times in almost a century to invest in real estate.

Although most people are unaware of this, many investors are now shifting their portfolios to include long-term real estate. This avenue of investing is not like buying a CD or a bond and putting it in your bottom drawer. If you buy a home and check on it a year later, it will not provide you with a small return and no headaches. On the other hand, if you play an active role in nurturing a home, it does stand to provide far greater returns on your money and open doors to access tax benefits that CDs and bonds cannot compete with.

While real estate investing is not for everybody, statistics show 80% of the self-made millionaires in the US made their money in real estate, and the best time to get in is when everyone else is heading for the exit. As Warren Buffet, at one time the richest man in America professes, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful.”

A typical real estate investor’s goal is to acquire a distressed property, hire workers to complete the necessary repairs, and then provide the home to a renter. The financial benefits to the investor are monthly cash flow and instant equity that grows with time. No matter how great the potential monetary returns may be, one of the most rewarding benefits to investing in real estate today may not be financially related at all. Increased foreclosure rates, a lack of institutional financing, and heightened unemployment rates can create an abundance of vacant properties. This in turn can lead to the depression of American neighborhoods and other plights such as increased crime rates and decreasing property taxes available to fund local community programs and schools. Those negative factors that drive down real estate values may make cleaning up the streets financially profitable, but it’s the alleviation of those factors through this investment process that can prove to be a highly rewarding social endeavor.

While our company, Allied Capital Advisers, began by working with seasoned, professional real estate investors who required little to no guidance, we think much bigger now. We believe many more people can help us improve the future of our country, one neighborhood, one investor, and one home at a time. While we will continue to service professional real estate investors and investment funds, our main goal is to empower traditional investors who wouldn’t otherwise invest in real estate with the knowledge, resources, and opportunities to capitalize on the financial and social benefits of investing in American real estate during these uncommon times.

5 Steps To Investing In Real Estate

STEP ONE

PREPARATION Contact a Allied Capital representative to develop an investment strategy that suits your specific long-term goals and desired level of activity. We have worked with hundreds of individuals through their investing careers and can offer you a very realistic idea of what you should expect, avoid, and plan for when investing in real estate.

STEP TWO

LOCATE THE RIGHT PROPERTY With the help and guidance of a seasoned professional you will choose from a multitude of investment properties generally only available through our affiliate’s amplified buying power. The property that suits you will be entirely based on exit strategies compatible to your investment goals and the level of activity you’re interested in.

STEP THREE

FINANCE THE PROPERTY Investment financing can prove a treacherous sea to navigate without an experienced guide. Typically, providers of the most economical investment properties are going to require a cash-only purchase, although some forms of financing like private lending are widely considered to be cash alternatives. You will save valuable time and resources working with the fund sources that have a proven track record of success for our investors.

STEP FOUR

TRANSFORM THE PROPERTY The way most investors make immediate wealth is when they transform the property from an almost inhabitable accommodation to one that an average person could call home. Many new investors feel they do not have the technical knowledge to rehabilitate a home. A challenging part for a new investor is finding the right tradesmen to ensure the job is done smoothly, correctly, and at a fair price. Our scope in the industry allows for the best contractors and resources to be made available to you along with our other investors.

STEP FIVE

CASH OUT OR WATCH IT GROW Some investors prefer to sell their investment for an immediate cash injection. Depending on your investment goals, it’s likely you want to hold your investment to capture income from cash flow. In addition, during this stage you allow a tenant to pay down your mortgage creating more equity as you access the tax advantages of owning the home. This strategy holds to reason as house prices have recently declined and stand to increase when the housing market rebounds to provide much higher returns from a future sale. Or a combination of these techniques can be deployed through an owner-finance exit strategy.