11 Skills of a Successful Real Estate Investor

Have you ever wondered what separates successful real estate investors from those who aren’t as fortunate? Although it can be tough to forge a path to success, mastering these skills can definitely help you get there. So here they are. Here are the fundamental skills that you should develop as real estate investor. By doing so, you will increase your chances of success. With that said, here are some traits shared by successful real estate investors around the globe:

  1. Developing an action plan: Before anything else, you must be able to create a logical plan that is backed by research. We’ve referenced this before and shall again: “Failing to plan is planning to fail,” according to the wise Benjamin Franklin. In order to develop a sound plan, you must be able to step back and determine your goals as a real estate investor. From there, you can craft a plan that will get you there. As part of the plan creation, it also involves measuring your progress so you know when to pursue versus pivot from the current direction.
  2. Deep understanding of the market: Now it helps to have an understanding of the market as a whole, but you will want to be especially knowledgeable in your particular locale. This involves keeping up to date with the latest trends and preferences in your market. It also requires that you understand the ins and outs of your personal investment strategy, as well as how it fits with the market at hand.
  3. Honesty and transparency: These are always beneficial traits as a real estate investor. People enjoy working with those who are open and who they feel they can trust. Especially in real estate, it can be very refreshing for people since there is a general distrust towards those in the industry.
  4. Asks for referrals: After all, if you don’t ask for it, you’ll never get it. This holds true for referrals too. And not only must you ask for it, but you’ve got to do so in a manner where people will actually want to share the referral with you.
  5. Awareness of inherent risks: When assessing potential opportunities, it’s important that you are aware of all the risks involved. You need to know what you are truly getting into and not just dive in with an overly optimistic outlook.
  6. Accounting skills: Whether it’s you personally, or someone you hire on as part of your team, you need to be financially literate and understand cash flows. Without this skill, your efforts are hopeless. After all, how can you assess potential investments if you don’t know how to work with cash flows? This is the fundamental of real estate valuation.
  7. Ability to build a network: You will need some social skills as a real estate investor. Whether it’s looking for new clients, building a network of complementary skilled individuals or finding the pieces to your deal pipeline.
  8. Team player and seeks help when necessary: Not only must you be able to build this network of people, you must actually be able to reach out and leverage their skills or expertise when necessary.
  9. Communication and negotiation skills: The skill set commonly associated with those who are successful in real estate – communication and negotiation skills. You must be able to help find yourself the best deals and squeeze further margins out of properties when possible. This is one path to success.
  10. Patience: You must be patient as a real estate investor. We can’t stress this one enough. Now we know that we’re all eager to dive in and start making some money, but you’ve got to wait for the right deals to surface. Otherwise, you may end up losing your money by jumping in too soon.
  11. Able to separate logical and emotional aspects of a decision: This is probably the toughest part about investing in general – real estate too. It’s essential that you are able to separate the logical and emotional sides of a decision. Of course, it is the logical side that you typically want to follow. We’re not saying you shouldn’t listen to emotional cues because sometimes that gut feeling can make all the difference. However, we are saying that you shouldn’t solely base your decision on emotional factors.

By focusing on the development of these skills, you’ll be on your way to success in no time. Today’s market is filled with many opportunities for the savvy investor. EPIC is committed to helping you launch and sustain your career as a successful real estate investor.