6 ways to make a profit in real estate investment

Many homeowners get into real estate investing by buying a home and using this home as a rental when they upgrade to a larger home. Called “serial purchasers”, they continue to buy (and hold onto) additional properties.

Other investors prefer to find a quicker path to real estate riches through one of the following ways.

Buy and Flip

Flipping means selling the property you just bought for a higher price as soon (or in some cases before) you take title on the property. While flipping allows you to make money fast in a hot market (or on a property you purchased well below market value), you may need to pay capital gains (talk to your tax advisor).

Buy and Scrape

Scraping is tearing down an existing home and building a new home. To capitalize on this idea look for areas where home prices are rising, vacant lots are few, and there’s an inventory of older homes. While there are many permits you need to obtain, scraping can be a very lucrative process.

Buy and Split

Just as you can buy one lot and split into two, you can also buy one house and subdivide into two homes right down the middle, or buy a larger house and develop each floor into several condominiums. Another variation is to buy a house with a large lot, subdivide the lot, rent out the house, and sell off the land.