If you’re looking to invest in single family homes for sale, you’ll definitely need to make use of some real estate tools. While there are many real estate tools out there, there are only five that are needed for successful real estate investing for beginners. Here are the five real estate tools you should use when investing in single family homes for sale.

Related: 6 Must-Have Real Estate Investment Tools

Property Finder

Before you begin investing in single family homes for sale, you’ll need to find some first. Finding a property can take place in many forms. Many investors let their agents find investment properties, some rely on advertisements, and others use word-of-mouth. The most popular method of finding a property, however, is using the internet. Many real estate software companies offer a property finder to users to search for properties. Using a property finder is the best way to search for properties, especially if the property finder is backed by predictive analytics and is using MLS listings.

Related: The Power of Predictive Analytics in Real Estate Investing

Heatmap Analysis

A heatmap analysis is an extension of a property finder. Most property finders and real estate software, such as Mashvisor, are already equipped with a heatmap analysis, but some are not.

The heatmap analysis allows a user to search for specific results based on input data. For instance, real estate investors can search for single family homes for sale, the most profitable and best real estate investments, and the most affordable properties by using different criteria. Some heatmap analysis tools offer more criteria to search for properties with. Mashvisor’s heatmap analysis, for instance, allows users to find investment properties according to rental income, cash on cash return, Airbnb occupancy rate, property price, rental strategy, and more. A heatmap analysis can also be used to search for real estate markets, instead of specific properties within a market. As a result, real estate investors can search for the best real estate markets within a city.

Advertisement

Comparative Market Analysis and Investment Property Analysis Tools

After finding a potential property to invest in, real estate investors should analyze the property to determine whether or not they should invest in it. In order to do this, real estate investors require a comparative market analysis tool. A comparative market analysis (CMA), or real estate market analysis, analyzes an investment property by using rental comps, or comparables. Rental comps are properties that are similar to the one an investor is interested in. The comps are then used to help estimate the value of an investment property.

Related: What Are the Best Tools for Real Estate Market Analysis?

Once the value of the property is estimated, further analysis of the property is required. This is where an investment property analysis comes into play. An investment property analysis breaks down data that investors must know before buying an investment property, whether the property is among single family homes for sale or not. The investment property analysis will analyze the property’s physical features, such as number of rooms and square footage, and potential profitability, such as projected rental income and return on investment. These are forms of data that must be known about any of your properties when investing in real estate.

Investment Property Calculator

If we were to recommend just one tool out of these five real estate tools, it would undoubtedly be the investment property calculator. The investment property calculator performs the functions of the three previously mentioned tools. It helps investors find location, narrow down investment properties, determine the property’s value, and analyze the property from physical and profitability standpoints. There are many types of rental property calculators available, but if we were to recommend one for buying single family homes for sale and all other types of properties, it would be Mashvisor’s calculator.

Related: Mashvisor: The Best Rental Property Calculator You Could Ask For

Mashvisor’s investment property calculator is an interactive calculator backed by predictive and traditional analytics. The calculator is a godsend for real estate investing for beginners and even professionals. All the user has to do is insert data for different categories and the calculator will point out the best real estate markets and the best real estate investments available. The calculator will, for instance, find the most affordable single family homes for sale with the highest return on investment in any area. To start a 14-day free trial with Mashvisor’s investment property calculator, click here!

Property Management Platforms

Once an investor has purchased and rented out single family homes for sale, he/she will need to manage the properties. Property management includes multiple tasks, but they can be broken down into five categories. These include finding new tenants, screening tenants and providing showings of the property, following legal requirements, collecting rent, and maintaining the property. If a property is not managed properly, it will become negatively geared, which makes the investor lose a lot of money. To help an investor stay on track with self-management, he/she should invest in real estate management tools. Some tools, for instance, allows investors to collect rent online. Other simple tools can be used for scheduling dates, organizing bills, and other forms of management duties.

Summary

Single family homes for sale are among the top forms of residential real estate investing. These types of properties can often be the best real estate investments many investors own. Like all forms of real estate, however, they are best found and maintained using real estate tools. Property finders are excellent for finding multiple properties. Heatmap analyses are great for narrowing down rental markets and properties. Tools with comparative market and investment property analyses are best used to analyze the property in multiple aspects. Using an investment property calculator, however, will save an investor time and money, as Mashvisor’s calculator performs the function of the three aforementioned tools. Finally, investors should consider using management tools to ease management duties.

To start looking for single family homes for sale using some of the best real estate tools, click here!

Start Your Investment Property Search!