Defining the Term “Real Estate Investor”

There’s a lot of misinformation out there regarding real estate investors and what you have to do to be considered one. I don’t know why, but I think it may have to do with how real estate investing is portrayed in the media. So let’s clear up this confusion right now.

What A Real Estate Investor Is Not!

I recently watched a documentary about the 2008 market crash. In one of the segments, they interviewed homeowners who borrowed against the equity in their home, anticipating the value would go up so they could sell the house and make a profit. I’m sure you have heard stories like this and may even know people who did this.

In the documentary, these people were viewed as “real estate investors” who were speculating and ended up getting burned because the value of their home actually went down and they were underwater (owed more than the house was worth). Anyone not in the real estate business might believe these people are real estate investors, but this isn’t what those of us in the industry mean when we use the term.

For better or worse, this is how real estate investors are most often portrayed in the media. This, of course, is totally absurd. A homeowner is NOT a real estate investor. Your home, contrary to what you have heard, is not your biggest asset. In most cases, it’s your biggest liability. It pays you nothing, and in fact, can become a bottomless pit of money.

Now don’t think I have something against homeownership. I love home ownership. I just don’t think someone is a real estate investor simply because they purchased a homestead.

Also, “speculating” is not in the vocabulary of any successful real estate investor. By speculating, I mean buying a property with the expectation or hope that it will be able to be sold for a profit, usually due to positive market conditions, but doing so with the risk of a loss.

Furthermore, a real estate investor is not a handyman, painter, plumber, electrician, landscaper, or any other type of contractor. It doesn’t matter if you are one of these by trade or not; you should not be at your investment house fixing it up, making improvements to it yourself, or doing any type of work to it personally. Separate your day job from your investments.

What should you be doing? Focus on managing your contractor and finding your next deal.

So, What Is A Real Estate Investor?

As the saying goes in the real estate investing world, “you make money when you buy.” Therefore, a real estate investor is not a speculator. A real estate investor looks to acquire a property where value can be added, either by themselves or someone else, where there is equity and most importantly, where a profit can be made. Whether you are wholesaling, flipping, or renting property, if you are doing it for the purposes of making a profit, then you are a real estate investor.

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