Every guide on the site, lot by lot on three streets: getting started, ways to invest, and the pitfalls and rules.
Getting Started St100 block
Getting Started Where to begin, the honest pros and cons, the rental math to run before an offer and how lenders treat an investment property.
TouredLot 01
How to Start Investing in Real Estate: A First-Timer’s RoadmapReal estate investing can mean owning a rental, living in one unit of a duplex, or buying shares of a REIT. How to choose a first path, get your finances ready, learn the tax and landlord rules, and avoid the costly seminars the FTC warns about.5 min readTouredLot 02
Real Estate Investing Pros and Cons: An Honest LookRental income, depreciation, leverage and control on one side; illiquidity, concentration, tenant problems and borrowed money on the other. A balanced look at what real estate offers and what it costs, using IRS, SEC and Fannie Mae rules.4 min readTouredLot 03
Rental Property Math: Cash Flow, NOI and Cap Rate ExplainedThe handful of formulas every rental buyer should run before making an offer: gross rent, vacancy, operating expenses, net operating income, cap rate, cash flow and cash-on-cash return, worked through one hypothetical duplex with round numbers.4 min readTouredLot 04
Financing an Investment Property: What Lenders Look ForHow conventional lenders treat rental property differently from a home you live in: higher pricing, approval through automated underwriting, six months of reserves, limits on financed properties and strict rules on counting rental income. Plus the FHA route for owner-occupied 2- to 4-unit homes.4 min read
How to Start Investing in Real Estate: A First-Timer’s RoadmapReal estate investing can mean owning a rental, living in one unit of a duplex, or buying shares of a REIT. How to choose a first path, get your finances ready, learn the tax and landlord rules, and avoid the costly seminars the FTC warns about.5 min readTouredLot 02Real Estate Investing Pros and Cons: An Honest LookRental income, depreciation, leverage and control on one side; illiquidity, concentration, tenant problems and borrowed money on the other. A balanced look at what real estate offers and what it costs, using IRS, SEC and Fannie Mae rules.4 min readTouredLot 03Rental Property Math: Cash Flow, NOI and Cap Rate ExplainedThe handful of formulas every rental buyer should run before making an offer: gross rent, vacancy, operating expenses, net operating income, cap rate, cash flow and cash-on-cash return, worked through one hypothetical duplex with round numbers.4 min readTouredLot 04Financing an Investment Property: What Lenders Look ForHow conventional lenders treat rental property differently from a home you live in: higher pricing, approval through automated underwriting, six months of reserves, limits on financed properties and strict rules on counting rental income. Plus the FHA route for owner-occupied 2- to 4-unit homes.4 min readWays to Invest Ave200 block
Ways to Invest Four routes in: a first rental, house hacking a duplex, REITs and real estate crowdfunding.
TouredLot 05
Buying Your First Rental Property: From Search to First TenantA practical sequence for buying a single-family or small multi-unit rental: setting criteria, checking rents and costs, inspecting an older building, lead paint disclosures, financing, the tax records to keep from day one and the fair housing rules for finding a tenant.4 min readTouredLot 06
House Hacking a Duplex: Living in One Unit, Renting the OthersBuying a two- to four-unit building, living in one unit and renting the rest is a common first step. How FHA and conventional rules treat it, why the rent may not help you qualify, how taxes split between your home and the rental, and the fair housing exemption that is narrower than many think.4 min readTouredLot 07
REITs Explained: Owning Real Estate Without Being a LandlordA real estate investment trust lets you own a slice of apartments, offices or warehouses through shares. How publicly traded and non-traded REITs differ, why REIT dividends are taxed differently, and the SEC’s warnings about fees, liquidity and distributions paid from borrowed money.4 min readTouredLot 08
Real Estate Crowdfunding: How It Works and What the SEC WarnsOnline platforms let you put small amounts into individual real estate projects. Who can invest and how much under Regulation Crowdfunding, what accredited investor status means, the 48-hour cancellation window, the one-year resale restriction and the risks the SEC lists.4 min read
Buying Your First Rental Property: From Search to First TenantA practical sequence for buying a single-family or small multi-unit rental: setting criteria, checking rents and costs, inspecting an older building, lead paint disclosures, financing, the tax records to keep from day one and the fair housing rules for finding a tenant.4 min readTouredLot 06House Hacking a Duplex: Living in One Unit, Renting the OthersBuying a two- to four-unit building, living in one unit and renting the rest is a common first step. How FHA and conventional rules treat it, why the rent may not help you qualify, how taxes split between your home and the rental, and the fair housing exemption that is narrower than many think.4 min readTouredLot 07REITs Explained: Owning Real Estate Without Being a LandlordA real estate investment trust lets you own a slice of apartments, offices or warehouses through shares. How publicly traded and non-traded REITs differ, why REIT dividends are taxed differently, and the SEC’s warnings about fees, liquidity and distributions paid from borrowed money.4 min readTouredLot 08Real Estate Crowdfunding: How It Works and What the SEC WarnsOnline platforms let you put small amounts into individual real estate projects. Who can invest and how much under Regulation Crowdfunding, what accredited investor status means, the 48-hour cancellation window, the one-year resale restriction and the risks the SEC lists.4 min readPitfalls & Rules Rd300 block
Pitfalls and Rules The rules that catch new investors: rental taxes, fair housing and lead paint, seminar and investment scams, and 1031 exchanges.
TouredLot 09
Rental Property Taxes: Income, Deductions, Depreciation and LossesHow the IRS taxes a rental: what counts as rent, which expenses you can deduct, why repairs and improvements are treated differently, how 27.5-year depreciation works, the passive loss rules and the $25,000 allowance, and what happens to depreciation when you sell.4 min readTouredLot 10
Landlord Rules Every New Investor Should Know: Fair Housing and Lead PaintTwo federal rules apply to almost every small landlord. What the Fair Housing Act prohibits, including in advertising, the narrow exemptions for small owners, reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, and EPA’s lead paint disclosure rule for housing built before 1978.4 min readTouredLot 11
Real Estate Investment Scams: Seminars, Coaching and Too-Good DealsThe FTC and SEC see the same pattern again and again: free events, celebrity endorsements, expensive coaching and promises of easy profits. How real estate training and investment scams work, the warning signs regulators list, how to check an offer and where to report it.4 min readTouredLot 12
1031 Exchanges Explained: Deferring Tax When You Trade UpA like-kind exchange lets an investor sell one investment property and buy another without paying tax on the gain right away. What qualifies since 2018, the 45-day and 180-day deadlines, related-party rules, what happens to cash received, and why the tax is deferred, not forgiven.4 min read
Rental Property Taxes: Income, Deductions, Depreciation and LossesHow the IRS taxes a rental: what counts as rent, which expenses you can deduct, why repairs and improvements are treated differently, how 27.5-year depreciation works, the passive loss rules and the $25,000 allowance, and what happens to depreciation when you sell.4 min readTouredLot 10Landlord Rules Every New Investor Should Know: Fair Housing and Lead PaintTwo federal rules apply to almost every small landlord. What the Fair Housing Act prohibits, including in advertising, the narrow exemptions for small owners, reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities, and EPA’s lead paint disclosure rule for housing built before 1978.4 min readTouredLot 11Real Estate Investment Scams: Seminars, Coaching and Too-Good DealsThe FTC and SEC see the same pattern again and again: free events, celebrity endorsements, expensive coaching and promises of easy profits. How real estate training and investment scams work, the warning signs regulators list, how to check an offer and where to report it.4 min readTouredLot 121031 Exchanges Explained: Deferring Tax When You Trade UpA like-kind exchange lets an investor sell one investment property and buy another without paying tax on the gain right away. What qualifies since 2018, the 45-day and 180-day deadlines, related-party rules, what happens to cash received, and why the tax is deferred, not forgiven.4 min read