Treasure Coast Real Estate Blog

Your local news and information source for homes and investment real estate along South Florida's Treasure Coast

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Real Estate Investment Tips for Beginners

Rehab or Rent Out? Real Estate Investment Tips for Beginners


With mortgage rates still hovering near historic lows, more people are turning to real estate investments as a way to build and preserve wealth. Whether you start fixing and flipping properties or buying and renting them out for monthly cash flow, either investment style can make your money work harder for you.

Before you start investing in real estate, it’s important to line up professionals to help you make offers when you find them. Among your team members, you will want to include:

● A savvy, local real estate professional

● A mortgage broker or banker to help you get financing

● A real estate attorney to write and reviewing contracts

● An appraiser who knows the market and will help you get a correct property appraisal

● An accountant who is well versed in real estate investments

● A good contractor, for rehabbing or repairs

Then, you’ll need to determine your real estate investment style.

Rehab or wholesale properties for short-term ROI

The advantage of flipping properties is that you can end up with a good return on investment (ROI) in the short term. For example, you buy a property for $100,000, and invest $50,000 into repairs. Once it’s rehabbed, your property is valued at $200,000, and you sell it for a $50,000 profit.

Once you know where to find rehab opportunities, you can easily repeat the process by reinvesting proceeds from a previous flip into the next property. This is where working with savvy real estate professional can help. They can help you find the right fixer-uppers that may be under market value. A Realtor will have access to many properties that may not be publicly available.

When you are evaluating a property, you will need to look at the whole picture to ensure it will bring you a profit once you resell it. Beyond the actual purchase price and rehab costs, your budget should include carry mortgage payments, property taxes, utilities, and insurance. If it looks good on paper, you can get your real estate team to help you quickly make the offer.

Buy-and-hold rental properties for monthly cash flow

If you find the right long-term buy-and-hold rental property, you can earn consistent cash flow each month. However, you’ll need to carefully review the operating expenses on the property and what tenants are willing to pay for the space to know if you’ll make or lose money each month.

Does your long-term investment make sense on paper? In other words, you will need to understand if your monthly cash flow will be positive or negative.

For example, say your total costs to buy a duplex was $20,000, including down payment and closing costs. You can rent each of the units for $600. Assuming your building is 100% occupied, you’ll make $1200 per month in income. Your expenses include mortgage payments, taxes, insurance, utilities, and management fees, and you want to set aside some cash each month for capital expenditures and routine repairs. You calculate that your expenses add up to $1100 per month. Once you subtract your expenses from your income, you’ll have a positive cash flow of $100 per month.

You can also add amenities, such as coin laundry and vending machines, to increase your potential monthly income. If your property has space to add a billboard, you can earn advertising revenue from renting that space, too. And when you decide to sell, your property’s value will likely have increased both from the overall rising property values and by the improvements you made to increase the cash flow.

Where should I start investing?

Contact us if you want to learn about investment properties in your local area. We can help you find the right properties that will fit into your budget and your overall goals.


Have you ever considered real estate as an investment option?  Download our free eBook

This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.












Friday, June 10, 2016

Brand New Key West Style Home in Stuart, FL

390 SE Ashley Oaks Way, Stuart, FL

OPEN HOUSE June 12, Sunday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

$ Click for current price
4 BEDROOMS | 3 (3 full ) BATHROOMS | 2240 SQUARE FEET

Another Spectacular Home by Medalist Building Group!!! Beautiful Brand New 4/3/2 Key West Style Home in Stuart next to a preserve on premium lot in South Fork Estates. Stainless steel appliances, impact windows and natural stones in the bathrooms and back splash, and beautiful tile. The elegant finishes in this custom home are a must see! Paver driveway and lush landscape. Room for a pool! EVERYTHING IS UNDER WARRANTY!!

Presented By:

Showing Agent:

Eric Slifkin

Keller Williams Realty
772-288-1765
Licensed In: Florida
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Thursday, June 9, 2016

Treasure Coast New Homes

New Homes for Sale in Stuart and Jensen Beach Florida


Check our open houses this weekend in the Falls of Jensen Beach and South Fork Estates this Sunday from 1-3pm.

  • 2732 SW CRYSTAL LAKE DRIVE, JENSEN BEACH $498,960
  • 490 SE ASHLEY OAKS WAY, STUART $415,000

The Falls of Jensen Beach

2732 SW Crystal Lake Drive, Jensen Beach, FL 34957

 South Fork Estates

490 SE Ashley Oaks Way, Stuart, FL 34997



Wednesday, June 1, 2016

7 Things Not to Do Once You Are Approved for a Mortgage


Protect Your Mortgage Approval

Getting a home loan can be a stressful process. Once you are approved there are some very important things you should keep in mind between this approval and your funding date.

Many people don’t realize that changes in your finances can cause your lender to revoke the approval, so with that in mind here are seven things you’ll want to avoid doing until after you’re funded and in the clear:

1. Don’t transfer large sums between bank accounts.

2. Don’t forget to pay all of your bills, even some are in dispute.

3. Don’t open any new credit cards.

4. Don’t lease or finance a new car.

5. Don’t change jobs or start a new business.

6. Don’t make any random cash deposits to your bank accounts.

7. Don’t accept cash gifts without making sure you have paperwork in order to explain the gift.

I realize there may be situations where something is unavoidable (such as your car’s lease expiring, or fighting over a large medical bill), but before you do anything, you may want to talk to your loan officer about the situation to determine if it may have an adverse effect on your approval.


More Home Buying Tips



This post has been authored by Eric Slifkin, REALTOR® serving South Florida’s Treasure Coast. You can reach me at 888-288-1765, or visit my Web site. As your resource for information on new or resale homes throughout the Treasure Coast, please be sure to contact me about any home you may find on the Web, yard sign or ad and I will research the property, arrange showings and handle all the details.