How Data Analysis Can Make You Rich in Real Estate Investments

Many companies use data to improve various facets of their operations. It can also be incredibly useful for investment functions, particularly for real estate investors who seek to maximize their portfolios.

When complex data is presented simply, it can have a strong impact on your investments. For example, it can show which markets are ripe for investing and which to avoid. You can analyze current and past trends to assess the income potential.

You can also learn things about other investors in the market, such as how many there are or how much they’re making. You don’t want to enter an over-saturated market, nor do you want to enter a market that’s not profitable for other investors.

Before diving into real estate investing, make sure you understand how to compare markets and properties. Whether you’re trying to decide between investing in Boise or Sacramento—or you’re just comparing two similar homes—this guide will walk you through all the numbers you need to know. From calculating cash-on-cash return to running a comparative market analysis, the experts at BiggerPockets demonstrate the steps you need to follow and the statistics you must know with The Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Market Analysis.

So data analysis can point investors in the right direction. Each investor has a unique situation, so data that applies to your current needs will be crucial to achieving success.

If building wealth and saving time appeal to you, here are some ways you can use data analysis to profit from real estate investments.

Automated Valuation

Being able to estimate current home values would be extremely difficult if it weren’t for the Automated Valuation Model, which major real estate organizations use. Think about the role the big players in real estate serve in data analysis.

Organizations like Trulia, Realtor, and Zillow set the data standards. They offer a variety of tools like graphs that showcase neighborhood trends, the average cost of ownership in an area, mortgage payment calculators, the history of a property, and so on.

Each tool is invaluable to both buyers and sellers for determining the value of a property, and investors can take advantage of this information better than anyone.

Home-Flipping Reports

If home flipping is your investment preference, monthly and annual reports can identify various success factors. You’ll learn such things as how many homes are being flipped in an area, how many are profitable, and the saturation of home flippers in your area.

One of the most useful components of these reports is the ability to calculate how much an investor takes in before deducting expenses and taxes, which is also called the gross yield. This provides a clear idea of how profitable you could be if you can penetrate a particular home-flipping market.

Foreclosure Reports

Foreclosure reports can also be very useful. These can be used to assess an individual house, as well as the market.

For example, if you see a sudden increase in the number of foreclosure report filings, you may intuit that this market is experiencing economic difficulties and may not be the best place to invest.

Since profitable investing often depends on entering a good market early in the trend, such data can be invaluable for determining whether to invest. It can help you find hidden gems in real estate markets and avoid others that are unlikely to yield.

On the other hand, foreclosure reports don’t always present an accurate depiction of the current market. Often, it’s a slow-evolving process, and many months may pass before a foreclosure report is published. So the information can be valuable, but you should be aware that it doesn’t always apply to the current market.

Choosing Your Property and Strategy

Without data, it’s too easy to spend months mulling your options and trying to devise a strategy. After all that time and effort, you could still end up with a money pit.

Data analysis can both speed the process and help you avoid making a bad purchase. Using information from reports, online real estate websites, MLS, and more, you can find the key data that will determine your optimal course.

For example, a property that has been on the market for 300 days might be overpriced. A property that has undergone multiple inspections but no final offer will likely have issues you probably don’t need.

As you select your property through the tactical collection and study of data, choose your strategy for making money. You might have begun your initial search looking for a vacation rental, but decide on a switch to a fix and flip because of the data you collected.

This is a small array of the data tools and benefits that are available to help investors make their fortune. As you consider your next property, investigate further data analysis tools, and make a more intelligent choice for your investment purchases.

What kind of data analysis tools do you use for your investing?

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Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.