Armchair Real Estate
Thanks to the Internet everything has become more sedentary—and easy. Perhaps the value of a sedentary lifestyle is an argument for the National Obesity Society to argue (if there is such an organization), but what it means for real estate investors is your job couldn’t be easier thanks to modern technology.
What used to require legwork now can be completed from the comfort of your couch, home office work station, or bedroom. Your commute is only as far away as your keyboard. Thanks to listing sites online, foreclosure sites online and even county records often accessible online you don’t have to leave home to find out any of the information you used to have to chase after in the past. In fact, some investments can be handled more than 90% from your home. If you are interested in operating a finder’s service for other investors you may never have to leave your home at all except to sign the final deal.
Surely, many real estate projects will require some legwork (even if your legwork involves 4 wheels and an engine, you still have to go outside) but even then unless you are doing the construction work on a flip yourself much of the contracting can be done from your workstation at home. Most real estate projects can be handled from beginning to end with a telephone, a computer, and very minimal outside work.
The biggest part of most real estate transactions involves research and that is where the Internet comes in. Everything is online making finding information easy. The next most important real estate investor necessity is networking, connections, market and strategy information and all of that is so much more accessible now than it was in the past. Prior to the Internet and its vast connections new investors often felt alone in a sea of confusion. Thanks to the connecting abilities of the Internet it’s easy to find others who are working toward the same end, have experience to learn from and are eager to share it.
