AE-TX

I love real estate as an investment because it allows me to earn money on my investment each year in the form of rent while (hopefully), the property appreciates in value at the same time. Another reason I like real estate investing is it allows me to take some nice tax deductions, even if the property management side of being a real estate investor is generally considered passive income unless you spend all your waking hours devoted to it.  That said, there are a few deductions that real estate investors can […]

With it formally being the season known as getting all my files together to do my taxes, I’m reminded of all the technology solutions I use that in our business. It turns out there a lot of them. My favorite tool for keeping up with all my receipts is Expensify. At this point, I honestly don’t know how I’d keep up with any of my receipts without it. The program (which is free) lets me forward any by e-mail any digital receipt to my account. I can also take a picture […]

When a tenant moves in, they usually give their housing provider a security deposit — money given to the landlord as proof of intent to move in and care for the residence. The security deposit often is equal to one month’s rent and it serves to pay for repairs or damages caused by the tenant that must be fixed once the tenant leaves. However, if the place is in good shape when the tenants depart, the tenant gets the money refunded to them. Often when tenants move out, they try […]

A common question I get regarding real estate investing is whether the investor needs his or her real estate license to successfully be an investor? The short answer — no. We have been investing for about 10 years now and I have only had my real estate license for the past two or three years. Since then, having my license has been handy but far from necessary. The main reason to get your license is it’s worthwhile financially. Let’s go through the costs first. $500 — the cost an online […]

When I have a new property to rent, I try to advertise my listing just about everywhere. And I mean everywhere online. Just like advertising for employment, more advertising for new properties for sale or rent are all done online these days. And I swear, in just the few months in between rentals coming on the market, one venue will disappear and another will burst on the scenes. If I were to advertise a new property today, here’s what I would do: Put Out a Sign with Flyers. First thing […]

Besides being a general pain in the ass, moving residences can also be exceptionally expensive. There are many costs and fees that go into securing a new place. In addition to the time and emotional energy, tenants must also pay up front many non-refundable fees like application fees, pet fees, parking passes, and security deposits. These fees are usually on top of the other expenses, such as the costs of setting up new utilities, storage units, professional cleaning, and renting a truck to move personal belongings. Security deposits where renters […]

As a landlord, your responsibility under the law is to provide a safe, livable home. This is under the legal doctrine called the “implied warrant of habitability.” This is a pretty broad st,atute, but it basically means the property should have: Heat (and air conditioning, depending on where you live). Water (hot and cold). A roof that doesn’t leak and won’t collapse and hurt your residents. An inside of the home that is free from known environmental hazards like unsafe electrical outlets, lead paint, or asbestos. Safe floors that can hold […]

Nearly 11 million people in the United States out of about 330 million individuals own rental properties to generate income. And of the roughly 50 million rental housing units in the U.S., roughly 41% of those units (20.5 million) are operated by individual investor landlords. Although classified as “passive income” from the Internal Revenue Service, being a landlord can be a lot of work. In addition to arduous work of finding good tenants, landlords must also answer calls from their tenants when something goes wrong — usually in the middle […]

It used to be all tenants paid their rent with a check or money order and there really just weren’t a lot of options. However, that was before online banking. Now with the ease of smart phones and the Internet, it’s very easy to request, send and receive money electronically. There are so many services out there these days. As landlords, we take them all. Our philosophy is that we want to make it as easy as possible for our tenants to pay their rent on time. So long as […]

The headlines are all about real estate these days with journalists asking all the right questions. Have prices finally peaked? Are homes overvalued now? Are we going to have another housing bubble like in 2008? Or will home prices stabilize now that interest rates have gone up, reducing what buyers can afford?     As an investor, let me tell you what I’m seeing on the ground here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Houses that are in good condition and listed at reasonable prices continue to sell quickly. For those homes, I’m […]