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AN OFTEN OVERLOOKED REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT AVENUE

By
Real Estate Agent with Bill Cherry, Realtor 0124242

There is one statement about investments that is indisputable.  If an asset does not earn a sufficient, regular cash return to its owner, it’s a speculation. 

By definition it's not a true investment.

Investments are vehicles that earn their keep.  The hope of capital gain, without sufficient regular cash return, is speculation.

Gold and other precious metals are 100% speculations.  They don’t work for the investor.  They generate no income.

They are market driven, and profit and loss are determined by what people are willing to pay for them.

Currently, properly investing in for-lease residential real estate is an excellent investment vehicle.  It fits the definition of an investment.

And since successfully picking and managing residential real estate is formula driven, a hand calculator, a legal pad and pencil, and a mind that doesn’t let "cute" overcome good business reasoning, can easily drive your success.

One interesting and clever investment avenue is buying large, older and historic homes and converting them into duplexes, tri-plexes, sometimes even four-plexes. 

And often an additional unit can be added above the garage.

In years past, I converted a number of homes in Galveston’s East End Historic District into apartments.  Since the area is adjacent to the University of Texas Medical School, they were in the perfect market.

These clever units commanded higher rents than those in conventional garden apartments, had very low vacancies, and always led the market in appreciation.

The net rents brought a fine and consistent rate of return.

If you are interested in this investment avenue, perhaps I can help you find and select the perfect Dallas properties.  Call me.

BILL CHERRY, REAL ESTATE BROKER

Since 1964

Dallas – Park Cities

214 503-8563

Comments (4)

Wallace S. Gibson, CPM
Gibson Management Group, Ltd. - Charlottesville, VA
LandlordWhisperer

One of the BIG pitfalls of "converting" is not having the electrical service upgraded - even if the owner pays the electricity for the entire property's one electric meter, not having enough "service" to run blow dryers/computers/appliances limits the # of occupants and subsequently the income....

Feb 27, 2012 08:35 PM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

In our area there is a trend to "reconvert" duplexes and triplexes to single family homes. If it sits vacant for a year, the city would not allow a second kitchen.

But it is an interesting idea, and as usual, an excellent blog post.

Feb 27, 2012 11:20 PM
Michelle Francis
Tim Francis Realty LLC - Atlanta, GA
Realtor, Buckhead Atlanta Homes for Sale & Lease

Bill, 

Great idea.  We lease out a number of properties in Garden Hills which have garage apartments.  Typcially we lease it as a single unit,as we have a lot of international families who get long term visitors from abroad and it's a fabulous guest house option for guests who stay a month or more.  

All the best, Michelle

Feb 27, 2012 11:45 PM
BILL CHERRY
Bill Cherry, Realtor - Dallas, TX
Broker & Wealth Coach

Michelle, John and Wallace ---

All good points! Thanks for adding them.

On our conversions, we seperated the utilities so that there was individual service for each unit, and we made certain that the building could easily be converted back to a single family home.

The first one we did was in 1976,  The building was about 4,000 sf and we only paid $6,500 for it.  We spent another $50 on the conversion.  It always made money.  When we got ready to sell it, we converted it back to a single family and sold it for about $350,000 if my memory serves me.

 

Feb 28, 2012 11:09 AM