Blog #14: Make the Most of the Market

Patience is a virtue, but it’s also really, really nice when good things happen fast. That goes double for your finances and investments- it’s important to understand that making a profit can take time, but it also just makes sense to make an investment that will instantly increase your net worth. That’s not going to be the case for stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. Those types of investments require that you wait out whatever market forces are at play. Even then, there’s no guarantee.

An investment that you’re able to buy at less than its market value? That’s a smart way to go. When you make that investing choice, you’re automatically making money simply by owning the thing you own. But once again, that’s not going to happen with stocks or, indeed, most investments. However a stock is priced, that’s what you’re going to pay for it.

Real estate, however, isn’t necessarily like that. People sell their properties for less than their market value all the time! It may seem like an odd choice for them to make, but it starts to make sense once you think about it. There are plenty of reasons a person would want to get a property off their hands quickly rather than for top dollar. These reasons are usually simply a matter of needing money fast (say, if they’re going through a divorce and want to settle things smoothly), or of just not wanting to deal with the property any longer (like if they inherited a house they’re not interested in living in or renting out).

Regardless of why a seller wants to sell, buying property at a discount when you can is a great choice for investors. This scenario creates one of the many profit centers of real estate, called Instant Equity. Since the property is worth more than you invested in it, if you sell it at market value, you’ve already made money. Think of it as a kind of safety net. You’ve already made a situation for yourself where you’ve increased your own worth. If you run into any kind of problem with the property later on, you’ve at least got the guarantee that it’s worth more than you paid for it.

Real estate is one of the only markets where instant equity is even possible, because it’s one of the only markets where the prices of investments can be flexible. By buying into properties at a discount, you make money without even having to do anything. What’s not to love about that?