Have you ever thought about investing in rental property? Apartment buildings, condominiums, rental housing... all of these properties can be lucrative investments. Or they can be disastrous money pits. In this updated field guide you will find articles covering not only investing in multi-family properties, but also what to do with the property once it's yours.

Landlord Investment Tips

1. Have a property management firm screen your tenants
2. Require that your tenants have renter's insurance
3. Make sure your property is protected for vandalism due to the tenant not taking care of the rental
4. Make sure you have insurance that covers you for fair rental loss
5. Make sure you have adequate limits of liability

Source: Landlord Beware: Advice to Protect You and Your Investment, (Realty Times, July 18, 2005).

Trends

The IRS Needs to Know, (REALTOR® Magazine, Feb. 29, 2011).

Multifamily Fundamentals Better Than Other Property Types, (multi-housingnews.com, Dec. 29, 2010).

The Case for Conversion: Owners add value by repositioning single-tenant office assets as multi-tenant properties, (CIRE Magazine, May/June 2010).

Multi-Family Properties: The Basics, (Realty Times, Mar. 24, 2009).

These Are the 'Best of Times' for Multifamily TIC Providers and Investors: Part II, (Realty Times, Nov. 27, 2008).

These Are the 'Best of Times' for Multifamily TIC Providers and Investors, (Realty Times, Nov. 13, 2008).

Investing in Multi-Family Property

The Most Important Formula in Multi-Family, (REIClub.com, Jan. 3, 2011).

What Type of Multi-Family Property Should You Buy?, (REIClub.com, Dec. 17, 2010).

Back to Fundamentals: Basic strategies help investors obtain financing for multifamily transactions, (CIRE Magazine, Jan./Feb. 2008).

Multifamily Real Estate Acquisition Strategies: A One-On-One With Walter Helm, (Realty Times, May 30, 2008).

How To Make More Money with My Real Estate Investments, (Realty Times, Aug. 7, 2007).

Property Management

What Real Estate Agents Need to Know about Property Management, (Realty Times, Mar. 29, 2010).

5 Tips for Getting Started in Property Management, (RISMedia.com, Oct. 18, 2008).

Property Management is Crucial to the Value of the Property, (Realty Times, Aug. 28, 2008).

Can't Sell Anything? Try Property Management, (Realty Times, Aug. 3, 2007).

Technology's Impact on the Property Management Profession(al), (Buildings, June 2007). Q

Useful Websites

National Apartment Association, (naahq.org).

Multi-Housing News, (multi-housingnews.com).

Multifamily Housing, (KnowledgePlex).

Multifamily Financing, (FannieMae).

Multifamily Housing, (HUD).

Underwriter's Toolbox, (Banks Channel Publishing LLC).

National Multi Housing Council, (nmhc.org).

Books, eBooks & Other Resources

eBooks.realtor.org

The following ebooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:

The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings (Adobe eReader)

The Complete Guide to Real Estate Finance for Investment Properties: How to Analyze and Single-Family, Multifamily, or Commercial Property (Adobe eReader)

Every Landlord's Legal Guide (Adobe eReader)

Happy About Apartment Management: 30 Years of Expert Tips and Advice on Multifamily Property Management (Adobe eReader)

What Every Landlord Needs to Know: Time and Money-Saving Solutions to Your Most Annoying Problems (Adobe eReader)

Books, Videos, Research Reports & More

The resources below are available for loan through Information Central.  Up to three books, tapes, CDs and/or DVDs can be borrowed for 30 days from the Library for a nominal fee of $10.  Call Information Central at 800.874.6500 for assistance.

7 Secrets to Successful Apartment Leasing: Find Quality Renters, Fill Vacancies, and Maximize Your Rental Income, (Chicago, IL: McGraw-Hill, 2006). HD 1384 C91

Every Landlord's Legal Guide, (Chicago, IL: Nolo, 2006). HD 1394 St4e

Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings, (Chicago, IL: John Wiley & Sons, 2005). HD 1377 B46

Practical Apartment Management, (Chicago, IL: Institute of Real Estate Management, 2005). HD 1394 In7pr Ed. 5

The New No-Nonsense Landlord: Building Wealth with Rental Properties, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2003). HD 1394 J76

Field Guides & More

These field guides and other resources in the Virtual Library may also be of interest:

Field Guide to Breaking into Commercial Sales

Field Guide to Commercial Property Management

Field Guide to Investing in Real Estate

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The inclusion of links on this field guide does not imply endorsement by the National Association of REALTORS®. NAR makes no representations about whether the content of any external sites which may be linked in this field guide complies with state or federal laws or regulations or with applicable NAR policies. These links are provided for your convenience only and you rely on them at your own risk.