As an intelligent investor, knowledge is the most powerful tool at your disposal. Arming yourself with the latest stats could make the difference between a good year and a bad one. So, we’ve distilled a few tips to help move into the next year with confidence.

Monetary Policy Choices Will Decrease Home Sales

Anyone who has paid attention to the Federal Reserves knows something big is coming. They have to respond to the rising inflation affecting everyone at a certain point. By tightening monetary policy, it may send shocks through the residential housing sector. The last time the Fed raised interest rates, there was a rather steep drop in housing prices.

Also, increasing rates has a knock-on effect; limiting the average buyer’s purchasing power. For every 1% increase, housing affordability can drop by as much as 10%. So, someone who could’ve bought a $450K home might only be able to get a $400K one.

If you watch the Fed’s policy choices , you can often get a jump on the market. Usually, there’s a bit of a delay between when a decision is made and when it affects things.

Investing in Mortgage-Backed Securities

Mortgage note investing is another great way to diversify your portfolio. In general, mortgages are incredibly secure assets with great track records. If you add a few of them to your portfolio, their gains could increase your annual ROI by quite a bit.

Plus, many mortgages receive a government-backed guarantee. As a result, it’s impossible to lose anything even if borrowers default. The government will ensure up to 90% of the loan’s face value or more, using programs like the FHA.

Each mortgage you’ve bought represents an investment in physical property. By building your networth this way, there’s a lot you can do with whatever you’ve bought. For example, renting properties can become a reliable source of passive income.

Demographic Trends Continue to Shape the Market

As always, it pays to watch how demographic shifts are changing in an area. Sometimes, an area will explode in popularity, attracting newcomers from across the country. However, after a while, things could slow down.

Look at what’s making certain areas popular and try to find somewhere with similar traits. If you can find a place that hasn’t hit the radar yet, it could be a gold mine.

Often, the price of land in off-the-road places can be dirt cheap. So, even strapped investors can buy a plot. Then, it’s just a matter of time until people learn about what the area has to offer.

The Midwest Is Experiencing a Resurgence

Today, we’ve experienced a rapid shift in the labor force as part of a transition to a new economy. For most of our history, people had to work near their jobs. So, they had limited options whenever shopping for homes.

Now, remote work has changed how people look for where they’ll live. As a result, many areas with no interest have shot to the top of the charts. That’s why properties in Oklahoma have gone up so much recently.

If you’ve held off on purchasing a home because of price, consider looking in the midwest. They’re still selling livable homes for under 100K in a lot of cities out there.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

For newcomers, funds might be the hardest part of investing. When you’re just starting, investment minimums can be killer. Start by looking into REITs, a type of communal investment. These let people invest funds together using an online platform. That way, they don’t have to come up with everything to fund investments without help.

House Hacking

Let’s say you’ve purchased a home where you plan on living. While living there, try renting a spare room to someone else. Then, apply their rent payments to the principal of your mortgage. That’s going to speed up how fast equity builds in the property. So, it won’t take as long to have significant wealth held in it.

How to Position Yourself in the Real Estate Market for 2022

Real estate is a constantly changing industry, always evolving into something new. We’ve seen a ton of news speculating what’s coming down the pipe. But, our old advice has served us well in the past. So, we’ll stick with that.