How Much Do You Need to Invest in Real Estate

Last Updated: January 4, 2022December 12, 2023

Share This Article

This article is part of our passive investors guide on real estate syndications, available here.

How much do you need to invest in real estate? This is a question that many people ask themselves when they are trying to figure out how to get started. It’s not an easy answer, and there are plenty of considerations that you should make before pulling the trigger on any decision.

In this blog post, we will discuss some of the different investment options people have when it comes to investing in real estate, what the average investment amount is for most people who buy real estate, and how much it can cost someone if they don’t have enough money saved up.

Key Takeaways

The amount of money you need to invest in real estate will vary depending on your chosen strategy.
The number one way investors lose their money when investing in real estate is by underestimating the costs involved. Investors should view their money as the most valuable resource that they have.
You can invest as little as $50,000 to invest in certain types of commercial real estate offerings. Commercial real estate is by far the best type of real estate.

How much money do I need to invest in real estate?

The amount of money you need to invest in real estate will vary depending on your chosen strategy. If you want to buy a property and rent it out, you will need to have enough money for the down payment, set aside some money for repairs if necessary, and keep a healthy amount in reserve in case anything happens. If you want to flip property, you will undoubtedly need to set aside money for repairs and a lot of it. Every experienced real estate investor knows that costs can quickly go up, so a reserve should be built into every rehab budget.

The number one way investors lose their money when investing in real estate is by underestimating the costs involved. Investors should view their money as the most valuable resource that they have. Everything from the purchase price, property taxes, closing costs, property insurance, ongoing maintenance costs, and mortgage payments must be known in advance. To mitigate risk, it is also important to have conservative expectations of the property’s rental income.

The average investment amount for most people who buy real estate is around $60,000. This number can vary greatly depending on the location and local rental market conditions. However, it may be difficult to get started in the industry if you don’t have at least this much saved up. One of the most significant benefits of investing in real estate is that there are several different ways to do it, and you certainly don’t have to be a millionaire to get started.

How Much Money Do You Need to Invest in Real Estate Flips

Flipping properties is one of the most popular ways to invest in real estate. Flipping a property means buying it, fixing it up as necessary, and then selling it for a profit. It’s a great way to make some quick money if done correctly, but there are also a lot of risks involved. Not only will you need to budget for repairs and renovations, but you’ll also have to consider how much it will cost if the property doesn’t sell.

One of the highest costs of flipping a property is paying contractors and other service providers like plumbers and electricians. The average renovation project can easily take several months to complete. If the project drags on longer than you expected, it can severely drain your resources.

You can flip homes with about 40k of your own money if you use a hard money lender. A hard money lender is asset-based, meaning that they don’t care very much, if at all, about your income or credit score. They also fund very quickly, which is a massive advantage over traditional loans. In exchange for the easy qualifications, they usually charge higher rates, which should be factored into your deal. You might be able to use even less of your own money, but working with these lenders doesn’t come without its risks.

All Cashing a Fix & Flip

You can use all of your cash to flip a property, and many experienced real estate investors choose to invest this way. The benefit is that you can make more money per flip since you won’t be making any interest payments, but your cash-on-cash return will be much lower. Depending on your area, you’ll likely need at least 100k to successfully flip a property.

If you’re starting in the flipping business, starting with a smaller project may be a good idea. This will allow you to get some experience and increase your chances of making a profit on the deal. You can also use other people’s money or partner up with another investor to flip properties. This might reduce the cash you need to a few thousand bucks, but you’ll have to convince someone to invest their money with you and share the profits with them while doing all the work.

How Much Do You Need For Rental Property Investing

This depends significantly on the type of real estate you buy. Everything starts with the down payment. You can purchase something that is relatively turn-key and start collecting passive income immediately after closing on your first rental property. In some markets, you can do this with homes that cost about 50k, which means you can put down as little as 20% or 15k of your own money. It may be reasonable to keep three months of rent in reserve just in case.

One of the several problems with buying a cheap home is that you’ll likely have to make a major repair at some point, and since your property won’t be anything special, it probably won’t be able to collect enough rent to pay for the repair. Also, the quality of your tenant may not be the best since you likely wouldn’t be able to buy in the best area.

If you purchase a larger property and put 50k down (250k value), you’ll probably be in a better area and attract a good tenant that won’t cause issues. Real estate investments are relative for the most part, meaning the amount you have to put down dictates the value of the property you can buy, and the value of the property determines the rental income you can generate.

[VIDEO MINI-SERIES] How you can start investing your W-2 or earned income to create tax-advantaged passive income.

Watch Now

Is it better to save up and wait till your ready?

This is why although you could technically invest in real estate without a lot of money, it often makes sense to wait until you’ve got a bit more to increase your chances of doing it well. Even if a property in the wrong area has two or three units instead of one, it would cost more and be better than a single unit.

This is why buying more expensive rental properties are generally better, but it’s important to know what kind of investment property. The most money in the industry is made through commercial real estate investments. These properties are like residential properties but with far more advantages. The highest-paid real estate investors only buy commercial rental properties.

How much money do you need to invest in commercial real estate?

You can invest as little as $50,000 to invest in certain types of commercial real estate offerings. Commercial real estate is by far the best type of real estate. Commercial real estate is valued by how much money it produces and not by what other property has recently sold for nearby. Investing in commercial real estate requires a different mindset than investing in residential real estate because these rental properties are valued differently.

This difference means that you can purchase a property, find a way to increase how much money it makes for its owner (which is you at the time) by either increasing income or cutting expenses, and then sell for a profit or refinance and get all of your cash invested back into your pocket. Also, if you do nothing to the property, over time, it will still produce more income on its own as inflation will drive up that particular real estate market rent. This means the property value will also increase, creating more passive monthly income.

Multifamily is the best type of commercial real estate

The best type of commercial real estate is Multifamily. This is because people need a place to live. This is an essential human need and is a fundamental reason why people invest in real estate period.

There are several risks involved in leasing a unit to someone that ranges from unit vacancies to tenants failing to pay rent. In most cases, tenants do pay rent but you need to be prepared in case you go a few months without collecting any money. Multifamily assets are different because the chances of not collecting enough rent to cover expenses over hundreds of units are much lower than the chances of it happening with a single unit.

Buying apartment buildings isn’t cheap. In most markets, to buy a good property you’ll need to spend at least 100k per unit. So even something as small as a 10 plex could be a Million dollars. This is why many people invest in real estate syndications. Syndications are when a group of people put their cash together to invest in a property.

What is a Real Estate Syndication and How Much Do You Need?

A Syndication is usually set up by a General Partner (known as a GP) or a group of GPs. The GPs find the property and are responsible for all the investment decisions on behalf of the Limited partners (or LPs). Limited partners don’t have any liability other than their down payment which can be whatever amount they want as long as it fits with GPs requirements (typically a 50k min).

That means for only 50k, and potentially even less, you can invest in an apartment building as a limited partner. This means that instead of owning one home, you can own a small piece of a larger and more stable asset that you don’t need to manage. Also, the benefit of having multiple units means that you can almost guarantee there will be income from month to month. This is certainly not the case with a single-unit property that has the potential to become vacant for any given month.

This is a high-level overview of how syndications work and how many more intricate details can make or break a real estate investment. Syndications are so popular because they offer the average person the opportunity to invest in commercial real estate, which, as we’ve already talked about, is the best type of real estate.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Much Money To Invest In Real Estate

Can I start real estate with 20k?

You can start investing in real estate with any amount but the more you have the easier it will be. The most important thing is that you know the costs involved. When you’re starting out, your focus should be on learning about the business and building a team of experts around you.

How much money can you get from investing in real estate?

The amount of money you make depends on the type of investment. If you’re flipping a home you might make more money than you would as a rental property in the same period. Also, the size of your investment will be closely correlated to the money you make.

How much money do you need for real estate?

There is a lot of money you’ll need to invest in real estate. The amount varies from person to person but it starts with being able to purchase the property itself, which will usually cost between 100k and 500k depending on where you live. Then there’s all of the closing costs, legal fees, loan origination fees(if you’re taking out a loan), and more. You should expect to spend at least $2000 in upfront costs.