What Are The Housing Market Trends?

You want to choose a property that rises in value over time. But how can you tell which areas will become the next best places to invest in real estate? The only way is to watch an area’s housing market indicators and rental trends over time and compare the direction of previous property prices and taxes to where they are now. A home purchase is a major investment, so don’t be afraid to take plenty of time to do your research and to analyze market trends to find the perfect area before you dive into a loan.

Should You Buy With A Partner?

A partner might seem like a great idea – you can pool your money, split maintenance costs and requirements and combine your home repair skills to save money on professional contracting costs. However, buying with a partner also splits your potential profits in half and puts you in the position of sharing legal liability with another person.

For example, if your tenants tell your partner about a pest problem and your partner doesn’t fix the issue in a timely manner, your tenants may sue both of you because you are both landlords and you are both equally responsible for providing a habitable environment.

You should also remember that if something goes wrong with your partner and you split the cost of the home equally, you’re both equally legal owners of a single property. Make sure that the person you choose is trustworthy, responsible and proactive when it comes to maintenance if you decide to go in on a rental property with someone else.

How Much Will Property Taxes Be?

Property taxes are taxes that homeowners pay to support their community and local government. Property taxes fund fire departments, public schools, libraries and other local projects. The amount you pay in property taxes is directly related to the value of your home. If your home is worth more money, you pay more, and vice versa.

Local governments set their own property tax rates, so the specific amount you pay in property taxes depends on your house’s location. Speak with a local real estate agent or mortgage lender to calculate how much a certain house will require in property taxes. No estimate is going to be perfect because every homeowner qualifies for different levels of exemption as well.

Should You Hire A Property Management Company?

You need to decide whether you want to handle repairs, tenant management and maintenance yourself or if you’ll hire a property management company to manage the daily maintenance on your behalf.

Property management companies take both scheduled and emergency repair calls and check up on your property with both drive-bys and scheduled visits to make sure that tenants respect your space. They can also collect rent on your behalf. Some property management companies also offer tenant placement services and eviction processing for an additional fee. In exchange, the property management company takes a percentage of your monthly rent. If you live far away from your property or you don’t have the home repair skills to fix your own property, hiring a property management company may be a great choice.