Articles

Ready to get your read on? Dive into the article archive to help you build wealth through real estate investing. We feature top subject matter experts exploring every facet of the industry.

Articles

Ready to get your read on? Dive into the article archive to help you build wealth through real estate investing. We feature top subject matter experts exploring every facet of the industry.

5 Design Trends to Maximize ROI

5 Design Trends to Maximize ROI

Style is not just window dressing—it determines how quickly and for how much your property sells.  Let’s talk about something that adds a little spice to the world of real estate—design trends. Whether you’re flipping houses, investing in rentals, or listing properties, the design choices you make in 2025 could ...
Vibrant Trend Blends Nature, Luxury

Vibrant Trend Blends Nature, Luxury

This season invites a return to organic elements, soothing finishes, and thoughtful layers. Interior design is a constantly evolving tapestry, woven with threads of personal expression, technological advancement, and a deep-seated desire for comfort and connection. As we enter spring/summer 2025, vibrant trends are emerging, promising to transform your living ...
So, Your Property Won’t Rent

So, Your Property Won’t Rent

Pricing, prep, and presentation are make-or-break factors—fix them to fill your vacancy. You’ve listed your rental property, posted the photos, and waited for the applications to roll in—but it’s still sitting vacant. A vacant property means lost income, and the longer it sits empty, the more frustrating it gets. So, ...
Kiavi Breaks Records, Again

Kiavi Breaks Records, Again

| Kiavi | Article | Funding
Kiavi’s tech-driven approach just made it the first to fund 100,000 investor loans. Kiavi has surpassed 100,000 funded loans, representing more than $27 billion in volume. According to data from ATTOM, Kiavi is the first and only business-purpose private lender to real estate investors to reach this milestone. A Data-Driven ...
Design for Fire Safety

Design for Fire Safety

As Los Angeles neighborhoods begin recovery, rebuilding efforts offer an opportunity to reimagine safety, structure, and sustainability. As Los Angeles recovers from the devastation of recent wildfires, homeowners are grappling with rebuilding homes that can better withstand future disasters. Wildfires are an increasingly common threat in California, fueled by a ...
Light Wisely

Light Wisely

Create cozy comfort or dramatic impact with natural lighting and statement fixtures. How you light a home can make or break your project’s overall look, but with so many factors at play in every project, it’s easy to see how this crucial component can be overlooked. Put simply, illumination is ...
Now is the Time to Leverage

Now is the Time to Leverage

Housing availability, age, and construction gaps Give investors an edge when powered by private capital. Real estate investing is an attractive investment for most people. Whether you’re seeking passive income or to diversify your investment portfolio, real estate has been the investment of choice for many investors. Investing in real ...
How Home Staging Can Transform Your Space and Accelerate Your Sale

How Home Staging Can Transform Your Space and Accelerate Your Sale

In today's competitive real estate market, the difference between a home that sits on the market for months and one that sells quickly often comes down to presentation. Home staging—the art of preparing a residence for sale by making it appealing to the broadest range of potential buyers—has evolved from ...
Federal Rule Reshapes Real Estate Closings

Federal Rule Reshapes Real Estate Closings

Financing methods and ownership structures are under the microscope in a sweeping federal update. In August 2024, the federal government’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced a new rule that affects residential real estate that is transferred to a legal entity or trust but is not financed. Once in effect, ...
Ditch the Annual Plan: Win the Year in 12 Weeks

Ditch the Annual Plan: Win the Year in 12 Weeks

When you condense your timeline, you eliminate excuses and see real progress, faster. According to the book “The 12 Week Year” by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington, having yearly goals doesn’t work because a year is too long to focus on. We tell ourselves stories during the year as ...
Empire-Building Starts with Design

Empire-Building Starts with Design

Success isn’t just about numbers—it’s about how well your brand, properties, and processes align. When you think of real estate investment, design might not be the first thing that comes to mind. You’re likely focused on market trends, financial projections, and operational efficiencies. Yet design is a crucial factor that ...
It’s All About the Feels

It’s All About the Feels

create a brand that instills trust, comfort, and competency by leaning into (your audience’s) emotions. It is surprising to still see real estate marketing that looks as exciting as a permission slip. Logos with generic roofs, websites flagged by Google’s SEO gods for crimes against page speed, pitch decks slapped ...
13 Tips to Spot Emerging Cities

13 Tips to Spot Emerging Cities

Use these indicators to dial into new markets—before they boom. The best position for a successful investment in an emerging market is in the front row. Getting in early means lower prices, tons of real estate to choose from, and bigger potential gains. But how do you know which markets ...
Can the Office Market Recover?

Can the Office Market Recover?

Real estate investors must align with evolving workplace trends and economic pressures. Real estate markets across the board are constantly changing, but typically they do so in an identifiable and cyclical fashion. During the past few years, the office real estate market has experienced a profound transformation, one that it ...
Flip More, Risk Less

Flip More, Risk Less

Use 100% loan-to-cost (LTC) financing to offload exposure on your next project. LTC represents the percentage of a project’s total cost a lender will cover. With 100% LTC financing, the lender funds both the purchase price and the renovation costs, so you don’t need to invest any of your own ...
Your Borrowing Method Is Holding You Back

Your Borrowing Method Is Holding You Back

| Merrill Chandler | Article | Funding
Unlock faster, easier access to capital with automatic underwriting. Many entrepreneurs still believe outdated myths about business credit—and it’s hurting their chances of getting approved for funding. The truth is, the way lenders decide who gets funding has completely changed. The old system relied on manual, full-document underwriting. Today it’s ...
Design With an Outside-In Strategy

Design With an Outside-In Strategy

Sticking to a home’s essential elements will help you create a more salable product. Designing a house for investment purposes must be planned well. Every interior element must be purposefully selected to create a balance with the home’s exterior features; in other words, the home must be designed from the ...
How to Make Lenders Compete for Your Business

How to Make Lenders Compete for Your Business

| Damon Riehl | Article | Funding, Sponsored
Prime your deal for multiple bidders to earn more—and more favorable—terms. Real estate investment loans differ from primary residence mortgages primarily in their flexibility and lenders’  evaluation criteria. Investment loans often come with different terms (e.g., interest rates and down payment requirements) that are usually influenced by the projected returns ...
Auction Buyer Optimism at Three-Year High in 2025

Auction Buyer Optimism at Three-Year High in 2025

64% expect purchases to increase in 2025, up from 60% in 2024 and 54% in 2023 33% expect home price decline in 2025, down from 40% in 2024 43% describe market as overvalued, down from 49% in 2024 26% of auction buyers describe themselves as owner-occupants, up from 13% in ...
It’s Time to Toss Your Market Model

It’s Time to Toss Your Market Model

If your analysis still prizes these three metrics above all else, prepare to be outmaneuvered. Historically, three economic factors were nearly axiomatic when it came to predicting the relative soundness of a real estate market. If a region could boast a net positive immigration number, a rising number of jobs ...
Midwest Multifamily Market Outperforms Nation

Midwest Multifamily Market Outperforms Nation

Near-perfect benchmarks signal: If you aren’t considering midwest investments, you’re missing out. Why the Midwest? According to a September 2024 article in Yield PRO Magazine written by Cushman Wakefield, the Midwest has a lot going for it. For starters, it boasted the second lowest unemployment rate, trailing only the Sun ...
Stop Trying to Anticipate the Market

Stop Trying to Anticipate the Market

Instead, diversify your capital and dial into a stable volume vs. margin strategy. As Oscar Wilde once said, “expect the unexpected.” This phrase eloquently encapsulates the private real estate market. Striking the right balance between flexibility and rigidity is crucial. A firm foundation of sound business practices ensures successful underwriting, ...
Stable Markets Aren’t Easy Street

Stable Markets Aren’t Easy Street

As the real estate market evolves, one of the top concerns for investors and real estate professionals is predictability. Will the market stabilize or remain volatile? And how can we position ourselves to thrive in the face of uncertainty? Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), ...
The Bet on Housing Market Recovery

The Bet on Housing Market Recovery

This frequently overlooked indicator signals unexpected price, demand adjustments. Bidding behavior at distressed property auctions acts as a reliable barometer of future retail housing market trends, and that bidding behavior in late 2024 points to a possible rebound in the spring and summer 2025 housing market. As measured by sales ...
Market-Proof Your Strategy

Market-Proof Your Strategy

Think real estate is slowing down? Think again. With the right insights and tools, 2025 could be your most profitable year yet. Rates are still high and housing inventory is still tight, but many experts suggest 2025 will be an opportune period for property investors. Let’s explore some tips and ...