


How Technology Has Solved Two of the Biggest Problems in Real Estate Investing
Properties
Finding properties is one of the biggest challenges that investors face. After all, the market value of an area is not set it stone. In order to understand if something will pay you back, you need to know the area.
Location Scouting
You can now know about an area and what kind of demographics it has easier than before. First of all, with online maps, you can scout it on your laptop. Secondly, people on the ground can be hired to walk around and film with a drone to capture video so you can really get the feel for the location.
Sales Trends
You can look into the local economies of locations that you are considering. See how their local businesses have been doing in recent months with sales. In addition, find out the employment rates to make sure there is an economy that is healthy enough to support the investment you are looking to make before just jumping in without the information.
Funding
The Need for Capital
You might have the best information in the world, but you still need funding to get that property. Therefore, raising capital has always been a burden to investors. Thanks to technology, there are new options, however.
Crowdfunding
Using public sites you can raise funds from investors, large and small, all around the world. This lets you act quickly on properties without breaking the bank. In addition, you might find properties that you didn’t otherwise think you could afford.
When it comes to real estate investing, it can be one of the most lucrative opportunities in the world. However, to make money with real estate, you need to find the property first. Then, you need to get the funding to purchase it. Technology has made these two things much easier than they ever were in the past. Therefore, you should look to utilize this technology in your own career to leverage the benefits contained.

The Power of Leverage in Real Estate
How does leverage increase returns?
If a new real estate investor had $50,000 to put towards the purchase of a property, they would have a number of options on how to best invest that money, starting with whether or not they wanted to use mortgage financing or pay cash. Some people may opt for the latter option, deciding that the risk of taking on mortgage payments is beyond their tolerance levels.
However, for the astute investor, using mortgage financing can provide a much higher rate of return. In the case of buying a property for $50,000 in cash, if that property nets $5,000 per year of income, then the total rate of return on capital for the property will be 10 percent. However, if that same $50,000 is used on a down payment to buy a $200,000 property with the same 10 percent return on the purchase price, the return on capital for the second deal will be 40 percent! This is because the investor is earning $20,000 per year of income but has only invested $50,000 of their own capital.
It is important to understand that leverage works best, by far, when rents and property values are rising. Using leverage can still work in other markets, but investors need to have sufficient liquidity to cover downturns, such as high vacancy rates or declining overall property values. Generally speaking, investors should stay away from using leverage in markets with a negative macroeconomic outlook for the short to medium term. While these investments can still prove to be highly profitable over the long term, the short-term capital requirements can bankrupt smaller investors.
The best way to mitigate the risks of using leverage is to perform in-depth due diligence on the local macroeconomic trends. Study trends in property values, employment quality, and quantity and net migration trends. Try to avoid entering into leveraged real estate deals near market peaks.