To close out 2017, we took a look back at all our most viewed and shared custom research (blog) content, as well as the most noteworthy news items on the site, and compiled our list of the Top 10 Real Estate Highlights of 2017. As a bonus, we also revealed our top three most popular properties and the three best real estate investing podcast appearances from our founder and CEO, Al Beahn. We first delivered this via email to our Detroit real estate investor VIPs, and now — this time only! — we’re opening it up to everyone.
To join our VIP list, and receive exclusive weekly off-market property listings, plus investing insights, right in your inbox, sign up today.
2017: A Year In Review
The Top 10 Real Estate Highlights of 2017
10. REITs v. Rental Properties — The Definitive Guide
Want to diversify your portfolio? Looking to hedge the next equity bear market? “The industry sectors and the S&P 500 index show a nearly 90% correlation when we look out five years. However, real estate stands uncorrelated from the pack.” In all the U.S. equity bear markets of the past 60 years, the only asset class to perform as well as bonds has been residential real estate. And from 2000 to 2016, real estate outperformed the stock market by approximately 100%.
So why don’t more people invest outside traditional stocks and bonds? Lack of information. In this article, we talk to famed American businessman Than Merrill and others to determine the best way to add real estate to your portfolio…
9. The Flipping Financials: Tax Consequences of the Fix-and-Flip
Our recent report What to Fix When Flipping inspired some questions from the real estate investing community, specifically regarding how the IRS taxes house flippers.
In this follow-up guide, we’ll provide the top six tax considerations for anyone thinking of getting into the house-flipping business… And, as a bonus, we’ll share some tricks for flipping houses without any of your own money. You down with OPM? Who’s down with OPM?…
8. Why Higher Detroit Home Values Mean: Invest Now
Buy low, sell high: it’s the number-one rule of smart investing. But we set our own trends in Detroit — and we argue that NOW is the time to buy cash flow real estate here…
7. Seven Reasons Real Estate Investing is the Best Small Business Idea
This is not a get-rich-quick scam. Ask millionaire entrepreneur and author Robert Kiyosaki: Real estate investing is a tried and true practice. And a lot of money can be generated — if you do your research and align yourself with trustworthy professionals…
6. ICYMI: The Detroit Real Estate Market is ‘Very Hot’
Realtor.com’s Market Hotness Index gauges the health of the real estate market in the largest 300 metropolitan areas in the country. The most recent index lists Detroit at #5 in the nation, behind only four metro areas in California. The temperature: “Very Hot…”
5. Single-Family Landlords are Sinking Cash Into Rust Belt Rentals
Bloomberg Interviews Pioneer Homes CEO Al Beahn.
“The combination of low prices and optimism about the local economy has made the Motor City popular with property investors at a time when the for-sale market barely functions for buyers who want to live in their houses. Eighty-eight percent of the homes sold in Detroit last year were purchased by investors, according to Attom Data Solutions, up from 35 percent in 2010…”
4. Detroit is Home Union’s #4 Market in U.S. for Single Family Rentals
On Tuesday, December 5, leading online real estate investment and management firm HomeUnion released its list of the most sought-after housing markets in 2017. Detroit ranked fourth, behind only Chicago, Columbus, OH, and Atlanta…
3. Why Amazon Belongs in Detroit
An Op-Ed by Lifelong Detroiter & Entrepreneur Al Beahn.
When Detroit was dark, I was there. When the City declared bankruptcy, I was there. I was born and raised in Macomb, a suburb of the D, and I’d been witnessing the decline firsthand for years.
And then came Mike Duggan. He mounted a write-in campaign, and won, on the slogan “Every neighborhood has a future.” The future is now…
2. What to Fix when Flipping —and How to Cut Your Costs
With the popularity of TV shows like Flip or Flop, House Hunters, Million Dollar Listing and Property Brothers turning every bored grandma and recent college grad into a budding house flipper, it’s more important than ever to share our knowledge on what works, and what doesn’t.
In this report, we’ll tell you what you should fix — and what you shouldn’t — to minimize costs and maximize profit. As a bonus, we’ll also share our top tips on how to cut down on your costs…
1. Do What Warren Buffett Does
We sparked debate on Reddit (and elsewhere) with our blog post Don’t listen to Warren Buffett. We were talking about the iconic investor’s public views on portfolio diversification. He’s spoken out against it, many times; in contrast, we believe that it’s the best protection from the proven volatility of the financial markets.
And, now, while we re-espouse our first recommendation to ignore Buffett’s advice on diversification, we’d like to include an addendum: Don’t listen to Warren Buffett. Do what Warren Buffett does…
>>> More Blog Posts | More News Posts <<<
BONUS: The 3 Most-Viewed Property Listings
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>>> More Properties <<<
BONUS: Al Beahn’s 3 Favorite Podcast Appearances
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2018 and Beyond
Stay tuned to (and bookmark!) the blog for our 2018 Real Estate Forecast, coming soon!
In the meantime:
- Join our VIP list to receive exclusive weekly off-market property listings, plus investing insights, right in your inbox.
- Let us know if there’s a podcast you think we should check out; a topic you’d like us to tackle on our blog; or a type of property in Detroit you’d like us to find for you.
And finally, please, don’t let this be you!..
