As one of the Agents here at T&H Realty, I speak with numerous investors on a weekly basis. 

Most of those conversations go something like this:

“HI, I’m Joe Investor and I’m looking to purchase properties in Indianapolis. I’ve heard it’s a great area to invest, and real estate is much more affordable than where I live. I’m looking for cash flowing properties in good areas that meet or exceed the 1% rule.”

Then, I typically have to be the one to burst their bubble a bit. 

Now don’t get me wrong, Indianapolis certainly is a great place to invest. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, our economy has held strong and the housing market even stronger it seems. 

When you decide to invest in real estate, you have to have the proper expectations, and I’m finding that some investors just don’t, and that creates a very frustrating experience all around. 

So, as an Indianapolis investor, here’s what you can expect in 2021.

Truth be told, we're a little surprised.

As you know, we've written a rental market update for many years now. In most cases, when we compile the quarterly numbers, there's nothing surprising with the numbers.

The numbers we compile are, in fact, almost always what we expect and, to a more specific extent, what we "felt" as a company.

Meaning, the overall market for a given quarter is a direct reflection of our leasing operations. If the market is hot, our leasing is hot. If the market cooled, our leasing typically cooled, too.

But, this quarter was definitely different. 

The temptation is there.

We see it all the time.

Your Tenant vacates your rental home and your Property Manager provides bids for the turnover work.

You review the bid and that nagging voice in your head takes over… “This bid seems too high. I JUST KNOW I could do the work for less money.” 

And so, you do. 

Some of you may live close to your property, have contractors at your disposal and have time to invest in managing the work.

But, most of you live hundreds of miles away, don’t know any contractors and really don’t have the time to devote to herding those contractors. 

You still do it though, because you think you can save money.

In some cases, maybe you can. 

But, in a significant number of cases - cases that we’ll provide in this blog -  you’ll end up losing money in the long run.

We’ve said it over and over… vacancy is a cash flow killer.

Vacancy comes with zero income and a lot of expenses.

Sure, some of those expenses relate to the actual material and labor required to prepare the property for the next Tenants, but the biggest “expense” is the lost revenue from rents.

So, the faster the property is turned, the faster your new Tenant can begin adding to your income.

Time, clearly, is off the essence.

Below are some real-life examples of properties within our management and Owners who chose to do their own work.

Special thanks to our Senior Property Manager, Don Castelluccio, for providing these case studies. 

*Originally published 05/05/2019 and updated 03/07/2021*

For the past several years, we’ve been a go-to Company for many investors around the world, all in search of the great real estate deals Indianapolis has to offer. 

Indianapolis is, without question, a hot bed for real estate investment.

Everyone wants a piece of the pie, and what makes it even more difficult, is everyone wants the same piece of the pie.

There are hundreds, probably thousands, of investors with the same criteria looking for the same deals that you are.

Not only that, but when you’re dealing with A/B class properties, you also have to compete against a high volume of owner occupants.

So in essence, you have double the competition as other investors who are looking for homes in the C/D classes.

I think we can all agree that the inspection phase is one of, if not the most, nerve racking part of purchasing a property. 

There are a ton of factors to consider and you just never know what might be discovered. 

Our stance on home inspections is that you should always, always, ALWAYS have one. 

Even if it's an "as-is" sale, you'll want to have a well-rounded understanding of the condition of the property and its major components.

One of these major components that you may have not given much thought to previously, is the sewer line. 

Keep reading to get a full breakdown on sewer lines and the importance of having it evaluated as part of your inspection process when purchasing an Indianapolis rental property. 

A while back, Feedspot voted us #20 on a list of the top 80 Property Management Blogs. We were thrilled and flattered, but more so surprised and excited to see all of the resources out there for landlords and rental property investors. 

We pride ourselves on our blog and do our best to provide the highest quality content and to educate anyone who wants to learn. 

Although we hold our blog in high regards, we realize that there is a wealth of knowledge and many other outstanding resources for individuals like yourself. 

So, we decided to use our expertise to make our own list of Property Management blogs that we think are the most helpful.