There are at least three primary advantages of rental properties sought by portfolio investors. The main one is passive cash flow; once acquired, rental properties generate income without the landlord actively working. In addition the owner typically enjoys gains from appreciation as well, as property values tend to rise over time.

And finally, the tax advantages of owning rental properties can be substantial, the primary one being claimed depreciation. Although most properties go up in value year by year, the IRS allows property owners to deduct depreciation losses from their reported income as if the property were actually declining in value. Consult your CPA or tax professional for specifics on this subject.

Buying wholesale means buying at a price where the property will cash flow today, not after improvements are made or rent is increased. The second pitfall is buying a property that is unrentable or located in a neighborhood with a soft rental market. The ideal solution is to buy properties that are already tenant occupied, but if you do buy a vacant property make sure there is plenty of rental demand in the neighborhood or better yet locate several potential tenants before you buy.

The third roadblock comes from using conventional financing and reaching your lender’s loan limit. After you have a certain number of rental properties your lender will cut you off and not loan you money to buy more. The best solution for this is to avoid using conventional financing and acquire properties by alternative financing methods, such as subject to, seller financing, or private financing whenever possible.

The biggest reason that people do not invest in commercial real estate is because they think that they do not have the necessary skills to do so. But when it comes down to it, investing in commercial real estate is pretty much the same as single family homes. Sure, there are a few details that are a bit different, but all in all everything works out the same in the end. When it comes to buying commercial real estate, the most common properties are buildings where tenants can conduct business. This can be everything from a large office building to a small retail space; anything that is zoned for business purposes can be considered commercial real estate.

The way that people make money with commercial real estate is quite simple. First off, they buy a property for the best price that they can find. From there, they fix up anything that needs it, and make sure that everything is up to code. This is a very important aspect to investing in commercial real estate. Finally, the owner has one of two options at the end of the process. They can either try to resell the property for a profit, or they can rent it out and collect a monthly income from the tenants. The most common option is for the owner to rent commercial real estate out to businesses. This way they can set up another income stream, and if one tenant happens to move out they can put it back up for rent in no time at all.