Does the real estate market offer passive income opportunities for retirement?
The road to retirement is different for everyone, but one thing remains the same: financing is required. While a small portion of Americans adequately save for retirement, the majority neglect it with neither the nest egg nor a plan to sustain it. For those looking towards retirement and the financial unknown it brings, real estate can be an excellent source for passive income opportunities. The following details what passive income is and how it benefits future retirees, as well as the opportunities available in real estate:
Passive Income Opportunities In Real Estate
The real estate market is loaded with passive income opportunities that are available to every investor, now or later in life. Unlike traditional investment vehicles, passive income offers a less hands-on approach to creating long-term wealth — essentially leading to financial freedom. Although establishing a retirement strategy before getting started is recommended, passive income continues to be an invaluable resource for those considering retirement with real estate.
To better understand passive income and how it pertains to retirement, it’s important to comprehend the benefits it holds. Along with earning residual income which works to replace employment income upon retirement, passive income offers retirees a way of freeing up their time to pursue other aspirations. Because financial freedom is the basic definition of retirement, future retirees should consider taking advantage of the passive income opportunities in real estate. This investment avenue not only has the ability to provide long-term, monthly income to retirees, but it has the capacity to generate short-term revenues as well.
Although passive income opportunities exist in almost every facet of real estate investment, not everyone has the ability to identify them. There is one necessary and must-have trait in real estate investing: due diligence. This component is critical for future retirees because it not only assists in recognizing quality deals, but ensuring they continue to pile in.
3 Passive Income Opportunities For Retirement
There are three primary passive income retirement investing opportunities: buying rental properties, raw land, and REITs. The following outlines several ways in which future retirees can earn passive income:
Buying a Rental
One of the more popular ways of earning passive income in real estate is through rental properties. This approach combines portions of rehabbing and property management to provide passive income from renters, property value growth, and sweat equity. The two most common types of rental properties are residential and commercial.
Residential: Residential investments are typically comprised of single-family, multifamily and condominium properties. They are an excellent source of passive income in real estate for many reasons, but none more important than cash-flow. Renting continues to be the preferred choice of living arrangement for the majority of Americans and the cost of renting has followed suit. According to the the National Association of Realtors, rents are currently rising faster than median home prices in 45 percent of real estate markets analyzed. Examples of surging rental markets include New York, NY (average rental costs: $5,130/month), San Francisco, CA (average rental costs: $4,730/month), and Boston, MA (average rental costs: $3,190/month).
Commercial: Another popular type of rental property is commercial real estate. This approach is an excellent source of passive income in real estate, especially for future retirees, as it provides higher income potential, a steady cash flow, more leasing contracts and lower vacancy. Although investing in commercial real estate may sound complex at first, it is generally a natural progression for most real estate investors.
When looking to get started in commercial real estate, investors should pay special attention to location, net operating income, cap rate, and cash on cash. Commercial real estate requires further analysis and due diligence, but it can be an optimal source of passive income for retirement.
Vacation: Investing in vacation rentals is another excellent source for passive income in real estate. For future retirees, a vacation rental can provide a slew of benefits, including positive cash flow and tax deductions. Among real estate investors, the appeal of vacation rentals is heating up. According to the National Association of Realtors, the number of investment home sales increased seven percent to 1.1 million in 2015.
Raw Land
Unbeknownst to many investors, a raw land investment can actually be a great source for passive income. This undeveloped asset is relatively inexpensive to purchase, has very little competition, and offers a wide array of opportunities to pursue, whether short or long term. This includes: subdividing the land for sale, developing it for rental properties, and leasing it out. Additionally, a raw land investment is affordable to maintain and has the potential for quick profit.
Raw land investing also has the flexibility for a build and hold option. Because the appeal of this strategy is inflation, investors have the ability to earn long-term revenues with appreciation. For future retirees looking to maximize their passive income opportunities, it doesn’t get any better than raw land investing.
Real Estate Investment Trusts
A real estate investment trust (REIT) works in similar fashion as a mutual fund. This investment provides investors with revenue streams, otherwise known as dividends, that are paid regularly. Although the IRS doesn’t consider REITs a form of passive income, when done correctly, it can provide passive income opportunities during the best years of your life — retirement. The trick is starting early, however. A majority of investors will typically have an assortment of REITs in their real estate portfolio, which helps to not only diversify risk, but provide a growing platform for retirement. That said, the performance of your REIT portfolio will be directly linked to the state of the real estate industry.
Overall, the world of real estate continues to be ripe with passive income opportunities. However, the ability to prepare your passive income property for success is the key to growing as an investor. From residential and commercial properties, to vacation rentals and REITs, the real estate industry is an excellent source to fund your retirement.
