Five Influencing Factors of Multifamily Investment Success

So you want to become a multifamily investor? Or, perhaps you are an apartment owner and wish to improve your returns. Well, you are in good company. The world’s ultra high net worth individuals, those with $30 million or more in assets, understand the value of physical assets and allocate their money accordingly, including real estate.¹

“How do I invest in the multifamily business?” is one of most common questions we receive at Better World Properties LLC. Is multifamily investing easy? No. Is it profitable? That depends. For those who invest in professional property management, apartment investments can beat the markets and provide an admirable long-term return on investment.

Successful multifamily real estate investing requires knowledge, experience, nourishment, cultivation, support, some chutzpah and an educated feel for which direction the market is heading. Syndicators and brokers provide a valuable service by connecting serious investors with the best opportunities. It is often a who-knows-who business.

Real property is exchanged for real money, not futures or dividends. A multi-family asset becomes more valuable when it can produce higher income. Reducing operating costs quickly increases income. When executed correctly, buying off market creates instant equity. These deals go quickly and one must all ready be in the loop to be on the radar.

Recognizing where these opportunities are within multiple layers of an apartment asset is a coveted skillset. At Better World Properties LLC, we have decades of experience in digging through layers. We can recognize an apartment deal quicker than a duck on a June bug and more importantly can recognize a bad apartment deal and respectfully walk away and still remain friends.

According to a Morningstar study, “…managed funds have generally underperformed their passive counterparts, especially over longer time horizons, and experienced higher mortality rates (that is, many are merged or closed).²  The average investor on Openfolio had a gain of roughly 5 percent in 2016.³ With professional, licensed managed multifamily investments, suddenly, you’re earning 20% on your money every year, instead of 5% at a brilliantly managed fund.

Five Influencing factors of Multifamily Investment Success

Multi-family investments can return multiple times average stock market returns. Five key factors heavily influence successful multifamily outcomes:

• Professional: Due Diligence, Property Management and Process Improvement
• Equity
• Appreciation
• Cash Flow
• Leverage

Professional Due Diligence, Property Management and Apartment Process Improvement

Professional apartment property management, strategic financing solutions and apartment consulting services quickly pay for themselves. At the Better World Family of Companies, we offer all of these services under one roof.

Better World Holdings LLC provides apartment deal generation, closing and financing.   Better World Consulting provides multifamily process and performance consulting and Better World Properties LLC provides professional and licensed apartment property management, due diligence, acquisition, property rehabilitation and disposition. You can read more about the services of The Better World Family of Companies here.

The advantage of the Better World Family of Companies complete Apartment Life Cycle Solutions under one roof is that we can find the right investment, perform experienced, professional due diligence, create equity through intelligent acquisition, improve property performance, increase cash flow, reposition and grow your portfolio from one property to one hundred. Our investors then have one source, one contact and one touchpoint when managing their apartment investments. That is powerful. Our unique ability to provide all of these services under one roof deal allows us to be very agile in the marketplace.

Equity

Recognizing value that others often miss is one of the things we are known for. A trained eye can tell how extractable that value really is and whether it is something that should be quickly scooped up or unapologetically passed over. This alone can make or break your multifamily investment. Is it possible to create sizeable equity the day you buy a property? You bet your bottom dollar.

Appreciation

Appreciation can be accelerated by conducting professional due diligence, understanding the intricacies of multifamily markets and knowing Texas like we do, like the back of our hands. Transitional neighborhoods that are on the cusp of change can provide fast appreciation. Knowing where to look and understanding and recognizing demographic trends is key.

Cash Flow

If an apartment property doesn’t cash flow, it was either purchased incorrectly or it is being managed incorrectly. Simple as that. Cash flow is what keeps your apartment portfolio alive while it builds more equity. Improving processes that improve cash flow keeps the wheels turning.

At Better World Properties LLC, we cultivate and nurture relationships with vendors, lenders, communities, utilities and many of the services and regulatory agencies that intersect with apartment ownership. We are out in front of them every day doing business. They are an important part of successful multifamily investment and we treat them as such. These relationships help us keep our properties running smoothly.

An inexperienced apartment investor who does not utilize professional property management can quickly find themselves overwhelmed, overcharged, overspent and in the hole. These investors often come to us to help pull them out of a free fall and they want us to fix it fast.

Leverage

Borrowing too much can be fatal. Highly leveraged deals are like hungry tigers that always have to be fed. Minimizing debt lowers risk. Strategic and creative financing is an important part of every deal. Don’t buy more than you can afford. Start smaller if necessary. Buy 150 units instead of 300 units. Refinance and pull equity out of deals to finance bigger deals. This is one of our greatest joys, assisting our investors successfully stair step their portfolios year after year.

Seeing The Vision Long Before the Deal is Done

Seeing the long-term, successful outcome of an apartment property investment from the first glimpse of a prospectus or a 2-hour walk-through of a potential property takes years of experience. They don’t teach this stuff in a classroom. You have to roll up your sleeves, get your boots dirty, turn over a few rocks and brush aside a few snakes. We aren’t afraid to get our boots dirty. In fact, we prefer it. You can read more about case studies here.

Professionals Prefer Professionals

Accredited investors trust proven professionals with their money. While all investing involves some degree of risk, real estate may be the least risky of all, especially when one does their homework correctly. Be sure that you are dealing with professionals who treat your investments like their own.

If you would like to learn more about apartment investing in Texas or improving the results of your Texas apartment properties, give us a call.  Better yet, come visit. We love to talk apartments.

As John Steinbeck passionately observed, “Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word.”

713-559-6975