BiggerPockets Daily

When it comes to managing your tenants and properties, you want to ensure that you’re doing so efficiently. Not only does it help your business stay organized, but it also helps foster a good working relationship with your renters. 

Fortunately, you’re not alone when it comes to managing your real estate business. Using property management software can be an advantage when it comes to cultivating a good landlord-tenant relationship and streamlining how you manage your properties. 

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Over the last decade, real estate investors have used Airbnb to rent properties and meet new people worldwide. The short-term rentals business continues to grow—in 2021, the typical U.S. host made $13,800 on Airbnb, an 85% increase over Airbnb host income in 2019.  

Suppose you’re serious about purchasing a vacation rental property and becoming an Airbnb host as a side hustle or full-time income. In that case, you need to understand the service fees involved in using the platform so you can price your property accordingly. 

So how much does Airbnb take from hosts for service fees? Let’s break down what Airbnb charges hosts, how other listing platforms compare, and what savvy investors should know to run their short-term rental business. 

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A squatter is an individual who occupies a piece of real estate, despite having no legal claim to the property. Squatters live on a property in which they have no legal title, rights, or lease agreement. However, this individual may gain legal rights to the property by adverse possession, which is the legal transfer of ownership to a squatter due to continuous land occupation.

There’s no shortage of squatting examples, but here are the basics of one of the most common scenarios.

You purchased an investment property in 2020 and rented it to a tenant for two years. At the beginning of 2022, you stopped renting the property, which remained empty for several months. Then, you decided to put it on the market.

Unfortunately, when preparing the home for listing, you found a squatter living there for several months.

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“Squatters’ rights” are two words that evoke an emotional reaction in landlords everywhere. Getting rid of squatters can be challenging due to legal complexities surrounding property rights and eviction processes.

In many states, squatters may be granted certain legal protections over time, making it more difficult for property owners to evict a squatter without following proper legal procedures, which can be time-consuming and costly. Depending on the local laws, property owners may need to follow specific eviction processes, such as obtaining court orders, to lawfully regain possession of their property from squatters.

But that doesn’t mean squatters can act with absolute impunity. Property owners have rights to their property and can take legal action to remove squatters.

Here are five creative (and legal) ways for handling squatters that smart investors should know to avoid the stress and financial burden of lost rental income, property damage, expensive repairs, and a painfully long eviction process.

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A critical yet often overlooked part of the real estate investing puzzle is crafting a comprehensive and detailed Statement of Work (SOW). Whether you’re a seasoned or a rookie investor, you can benefit significantly from this powerful tool. 

Your SOW helps keep your project on track and can be instrumental in securing financing for a fix and flip property, particularly from hard money lenders. Let’s dive into why a detailed SOW is critical and how to create one.

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If you’re not into traditional budgeting, where you place all of your spending into rigid categories, then the 50/30/20 budget rule might be for you.

This financial management budgeting method is broken into three main categories: 50% needs, 30% wants, and 20% savings and investing. It’s designed to take a full picture of one’s monthly living expenses in the simplest way possible and remove the nitty gritty details that can bog someone’s bank account down with complications.

So, in theory, if your after-tax income is $5,000 a month, $2,500 should go to your needs, $1,500 to your wants, and $1,000 to your savings and investing goals. Let’s talk more about how this all works.

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When you’re in the market for a new property, one of the first things you’ll want to do is apply for a mortgage preapproval. This process can help you determine your budget, refine your house-hunting efforts, and give you an edge in a competitive market. 

Let’s walk through the basics of mortgage preapproval, how it differs from prequalification, and why it’s important when buying a home. 

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What’s the number one skill all real estate investors need? It’s how to accurately estimate after-repair value (ARV). This critical skill could help you determine if a property is a good investment or something you should pass on.

Knowing the value of a property is essential. Whether you’re a buy-and-hold investor interested in turnkey properties or a fix-and-flipper looking for a property needing serious work, you need this information. “Buy low and sell high” is real estate’s core success formula—but to know you’re getting a good deal when you buy, you need to know how to estimate future value.

Here’s how real estate investors can calculate ARV for single-family homes or other small residential properties. Commercial or larger multifamily properties are not covered here because they require a different process.

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So far, throughout 2023, we have published several articles on DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) loans, a loan product that continues to grow in popularity among real estate investors. These included an overview of how to get the best rate and terms, how to use advanced strategies to maximize returns, and an overview of the new small multifamily DSCR loans niche, which expands the loan product to properties with up to 10 units! In May, we posted 12 Frequently Asked Questions (And Answers) About DSCR loans. This proved very popular and helpful for real estate investors exploring this transformative loan product. 

More questions and advanced scenarios continue to flow and get discussed in the BiggerPockets forums, so we have decided to publish another installment to cover more of your questions!

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Realtors are essentially intermediaries between buyers and sellers, so realtors get paid on commission when you close on a property. But who is responsible for that fee, and how much commission do realtors normally take? This article explains how realtor commission works and when they receive their payment.

It’s very common to use the terms “realtor” and “real estate agent” interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two. Realtors are normal real estate agents and National Association of Realtors members. On the other hand, real estate agents are licensed professionals working in the real estate industry. Both real estate agents and realtors assist buyers and sellers in purchasing and selling real estate. Still, only realtors adhere to a code of ethics set by the National Association of Realtors.

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