Building and Maintaining a Multifamily Real Estate Portfolio

Eric Wilson

COO

July 17, 2019

5 min read

Eric Wilson

COO

July 17, 2019

5 min read

From beginners to seasoned professionals, the lure of a larger multifamily portfolio is powerful. The more units, the more potential wealth creation. Today we're going to discuss the process of building and maintaining a successful multifamily portfolio, starting from a single property and leading up to larger acquisitions.

Getting Your Foot in the Door: House Hacking

Getting started in multifamily real estate can be as simple as "house hacking." Anyone who knows my background, knows that this is how I started in multifamily. I started with one three-family property where I lived in one unit and rented out the other two.

Not only does house hacking offer a hands-on approach to property management and maintenance, but it also provides an invaluable learning experience. With potential rental income offsetting your mortgage, you could be living virtually rent-free while gaining critical real estate investment experience.

Graduating to Larger Properties

Once you've honed your landlord skills and built some equity in your first property, you might consider moving onto larger properties. Upgrading can be achieved through the "BRRRR" (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) strategy. This method involves buying a property, renovating it, renting it out to tenants, refinancing the property, and then repeating the process.

With each successful BRRRR cycle, you can increase your property's value, improve cash flow, and expand your portfolio with the extracted equity.

Scaling Up: Real Estate Syndications

While starting small can provide a solid foundation, scaling up to larger properties with higher returns can be a challenge. One strategy for overcoming this hurdle is through real estate syndications.

Syndication is a way for multiple investors to pool their financial resources to invest in properties and projects much bigger than they could afford or manage on their own. In a syndication, you join other investors in buying a larger multifamily property. You receive a share of the profits, proportional to your investment, but without the hassle of direct property management.

This approach allows you to access significant, wealth-building properties that would be out of reach individually. It's an effective way to diversify your portfolio and increase your passive income.

Maintenance: The Key to Long-Term Success

Regardless of your portfolio's size, maintenance and continuous evaluation are crucial to long-term success. Regular property inspections, prompt repairs, and consistent tenant communication can help maintain your property values and tenant relationships.

Periodic portfolio assessments will ensure your properties continue to meet your financial goals. Always be ready to adjust your strategy, whether that means selling a property that is underperforming, refinancing a property to extract equity, or seeking new acquisition opportunities.

Conclusion: Your Path to Multifamily Success

Building and maintaining a successful multifamily real estate portfolio is a journey. Starting with house hacking and graduating to larger properties through methods like BRRRR and syndication offers a clear path to scale up your investments. By committing to ongoing portfolio maintenance and evaluation, you can ensure continued success in your multifamily real estate investment journey.

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