For new real estate investors, learning what mistakes to avoid can reduce risk and prepare you for success. Often these mistakes can be easily corrected with the right education.
"Real estate investing fever" has hit like a plague. Zillions of "newbie" investors are jumping on the bandwagon trying to make a profit after losing big in the stock market. I meet them all the time, and many are making big mistakes!
Mistake #1: Stock Market Mentality
You'd think after losing $7 trillion in the stock market, people would have learned! Nope, they are making the same mistake, which is assuming that what happened yesterday will happen tomorrow. Nine out of ten new investors I meet say they are interested in real estate because they saw someone else make money from the rapid appreciation of the market in the past.
But, buying real estate solely for short-term appreciation is often a big gamble! If you buy investment property to hold for ten years or more, chances are that you will come out on top. If you buy a property and flip it in within a year, you'll probably do fine, too. And, despite the risk, many people can intelligently time the "boom" of a local market (or subdivision within a market) and make a profit. But, if you buy a rental property for full-market price with break even or negative cash flow, you'd better have a backup plan if the market doesn't keep going up. Investing is a lot like surfing; if you don't know how to ride the wave, you can drown!
