First Rental Property

I began investing in real estate about 5 years ago.  It was at this time that I purchased my first rental property.

Since I started investing, I have spoken to many experienced real estate investors.  Many of these investors currently own, or did own at one point multiple properties.

Since I started investing, I have also spoken to many people who have expressed interest in investing in real estate.  I have noticed that there are a number of factors that prevent these people from investing in real estate.

No matter how much they may say that, “One day, I am going to invest in real estate”, I know that the vast majority of these people never will.

So, why is this the case?  Why do so many people want to invest in real estate, however, never end up doing so?

I could probably write a book on why people don’t end up investing in real estate (hint – hint), however for the purposes of this article, I am going to focus on ONE of the factors that prevent people from investing in real estate.

Arguably the number one reason why people don’t invest in real estate is that they are afraid of the repairs and maintenance that they will have to perform on the property.

This fear is real, and I have witnessed it stop would be real estate investors dead in their tracks!

I know from personal experience that this fear lessens as time goes on, and as the real estate investor gains more experience.

Here is a personal example to help illustrate this point:

When I first began investing in real estate 5 years ago, repairs and maintenance issues were one of my biggest fears.  I was never really a handy person, nor am I a very handy person today (I have gotten better over the years though).

As a result, when repairs and maintenance issues would come up, I would feel anxiety because I did not know how to handle it.  I did not know whether I should repair the item myself, or whether I should hire a handy man who could come in and do the job.

One of my greatest fears was that one of my rental properties would get a leaky toilet and that I would not know how to repair it.

I am very proud to say that I have come a long way in 5 years, and here is why.

Just yesterday, I was visiting my newest rental property.  I had met my new tenants at the property, and we were doing a walk through of the property.  We were doing a final walk through of the property, as the tenants were moving in the following month .  As we were walking through the property, we were testing the toilets by flushing them, in order to make sure that they were working properly.

As soon as we flushed the toilet in the upstairs bathroom, a stream of water began to flow out of the back of the toilet.  The stream of water was steady, almost like the water coming out of a slow running tap.

My property manager was also there with me.  So when this happened, we jumped into action and turned the water off.  We cleaned up the water quickly so that there was no damage to the floor.

As we were cleaning up the water, the property manager and I were sticking our heads underneath the toilet and  discussing the problem with the toilet.  We identified the problem and concluded that the best remedy would be a brand new toilet.

This all happened pretty fast, and when everything was over and done, I was pretty happy with how I was feeling about the situation.

I had always feared this type of repair the most — the leaky toilet that is.  I had always experienced the most anxiety around the thought of this type of repair.  However, while the toilet was leaking, while we were cleaning it up, and after the situation was under control, I realized that I had experienced no anxiety at all.  I was pretty calm throughout the whole ordeal.

The fact that I was so calm I believe is a direct result of the Real Estate Team I have in place.

I have confidence in my Real Estate team and their ability to get things done for me.

As an example, my property manager is going to be replacing the toilet with a brand new one in a few days.  Which means…. problem solved!

The number one way in which you can eliminate all of the fears you have with respect to real estate investing, is to have a strong Real Estate Team that you can rely on.

This team can sometimes take some time to assemble.  However, once the team is assembled, nothing will be able to get in your way of real estate investment success!

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To check out some of the members of my Real Estate Team, click on the following links:

Mortgage Broker
Real Estate Lawyer
Realtor