Investing in property is a great idea for anyone looking to diversify their portfolio. Before you ask, no, you’re not too late to the party and there’s still a lot of money to be made here. Sure, 10-20 years ago might have been a better time to buy property, but you can’t guarantee that in the next 10- or 20-years people won’t be saying the same about this period. So, for those who are anxious to get started, here are a couple of beginner tips to help sway the odds ever in your favor. 

• Find a property investment strategy 

Investing in property is not the same as buying a residential home. You need a strategy, and you need to understand it in-depth. Moreover, it’s important that you stick with the strategy, even if things don’t start out perfect. Some of these strategies are: 

• Investing in rental properties 
• Fixing and flipping properties 
• Wholesaling 
• Buying and holding properties 
• Tax lien investing 

The key thing is that you figure out the risks and advantages of each of these investment strategies. Keep in mind that different strategies have different capital requirements and that you might want to include this in your decisions. 

• Build a network of contacts 

You can’t do it all on your own, which is why you need to look for people to help you out as soon as possible. As an investor, you want to get in touch with other investors, real estate agents, and all sorts of professionals. Second, you need to keep in mind the importance of making contacts in the home region. For instance, if you’re keen on buying properties in the Sydney area, you want to get in touch with a buyer’s agent from Sydney. This way, you get first-hand information that will even help boost your research by quite a margin. 

• Follow property trends 

While property investment trends evolve over the course of time, there are a couple of trends that are expected in 2022. For instance, property demand from home buyers in Australia was already strong in 2021 and this trend is likely to carry on well into 2022. The investors might keep squeezing out first-time home buyers (FHB). This is due to the fact that these two groups have a tendency of competing for the same properties. Now, however, there are far fewer FHB incentives than in the previous years, which tips the scale in the favor of investors. 

• Capital growth vs. cash flow 

One of the biggest decisions that you’ll have to make is the one of cash flow vs. capital growth. When looking for a good cash flow, your primary objective would be to look for property that produces high rental income. When it comes to capital growth, you would have to look for a property with above-average property growth. Now, when making this decision, it’s important that you’re aware of the local market. In Australia, capital growth is usually higher while rental returns are, more often than not, lower. By keeping this in mind you’ll have an easier job of keeping your strategy in check. 

• Being aware of the risks 

Another thing you should think of is the various risks involved. For instance, there are the market risk, the liquidity risk, the interest rate risk, etc. Other than this, there’s the likelihood of buying the wrong property or getting stuck in a cash flow crunch. For foreign investors, currency risks and legislative risks are just as big of a danger. Just keep in mind that with the right research and legal assistance, all of these risks are manageable. 

• Location and property type 

The two things that will make the most difference in this field is the right location of the property, as well as the building type. When considering location, the first thing you’re examining is the macroeconomic environment. Then, you need to look at the state and the way in which it performs considering the market averages nationwide. The geographical location of the property will require an additional examination. In terms of property types, there are townhouses, blocks of apartments, student accommodation, commercial properties, villas, etc. Make your choice carefully.  
In conclusion 
While there’s never a guarantee that things will work out as intended, the key thing you need to focus on is the fact that real estate investments tend to be more dependable. You need to do your research, base your decisions on logic, and always focus on the strategy. Remember that you have some long-term goals that you want to pursue with every decision you make. So, take your time, learn as much as you can, make your network of contacts, and prepare to enter the world of real estate property investment for the long haul. With the right preparation, your odds of making it will increase drastically.