Investing in real estate is a great way to build wealth over time. Not only do investors get monthly cash flow from renting out properties, but they are also able to access the equity accumulation over time. With that in mind, one of the most important parts of the investing process is finding a home to rent out. You have to think about many years down the road before buying an investment property. A lot of the best rental properties from a financial perspective have common features. Here are some of the most important features to look for when buying an investment property.   Safe Location When looking at a potential real estate investment, you have to look at how to increase the value of the property over time. While renting it out, the person who lives in the property is paying rent. This will usually cover the mortgage payment and then some. In order to increase the value of the home, it has to be in a good area. Although you can spend a lot of money to upgrade your home’s value in the short term, you are really looking for appreciation many years out. Finding the right location is key. You may even have to pay more for a home in a good area, but you should look for a home on the bottom end of the spectrum. Never have the nicest house in the neighborhood if you want to build wealth through your investments.   Close to Work Another important feature of the top real estate investment properties is that they are close to work for people living there. In many places around the country, most of the jobs are in the city. Few people can afford to live in the city, so they look just outside the city in order to find an affordable place to stay. The problem is that no one wants to sit in traffic for hours a day just to get to work.   The sweet spot for a location on a home is to find something that is relatively close to the places that people work. However, you should also price it in a way that it is still much more affordable than living directly in the city. This is why so many cities are seeing a huge increase in rent prices over the past few years. The demand for these rental homes has never been higher in many parts of the country.   Upgraded Home Options There are also upgraded home options that many people look for when choosing a home. Most of these options are easy to put in, and they greatly increase the chance of your home’s value going up over time. Interior glass doors are easy to install and do not cost a lot of money. This is just one simple example of something that you can do as an owner to make the place look nicer for the people who are living there.   Many people who have had success investing in real estate say that you should upgrade your property as much as possible over the years to increase the value of the home. However, you have to think about the cost to do so versus the return. Buying a home in the right area is really the biggest aspect of increasing the value of the home over time.   Next Steps If you are interested in investing in real estate, you need to look for properties that have these common features. Location is the most important variable to look at, but there are also inexpensive upgrades that you can make on a home to increase the value of the property.

David Glenn

David Glenn

David Glenn is a home improvement expert. He occasionally freelance writes about home maintenance and DIY home repair. He’s also knowledgeable about topics like how to improve social presence and building a reputation online.