sample business plan for property investment company

• Making a property investment business plan
• Rental yield calculations
• Property investment strategies
• How to quit your job and invest in property

Setting investment goals

• Are property training courses worth the money?
• Do you need a property mentor?
• The process of buying an investment property
• How to evaluate a property investment
• Property assessment checklist
• The 4 types of property deal I look for (and why)
• How to find a property sourcer
• Deciding where to invest
• How to flip a house: the ultimate guide
• Rent-To-Rent: The ultimate guide
• Lease Options explained
• Lending against property
• Lessons from running a letting agency
• How to get started with limited funds
• Mortgages: The ultimate guide
• Mortgages for limited companies
• New mortgage rules: rental cover and portfolio landlords
• Interest-only vs repayment mortgages
• Bridging finance: the ultimate guide
• Property joint venture agreements – The ultimate guide
• Recycling your cash
• Self-manage or use a letting agent?
• Landlord insurance guide
• How to find tenants
• Writing a tenancy agreement
• What does self-managing a property involve?
• Rent guarantee insurance
• The 18-year property cycle
• Will London house prices crash?
• Avoiding Inheritance Tax
• Exit strategies
• Mortgage interest relief
• Buying through a company

How to create a rental property business plan (and why you need one)

Last updated: 21 October 2022

Take it from someone who’s spoken to a lot of investors over the last few years: almost everyone who achieves great success started out with a solid plan.

All businesses start out with a plan . Even if that plan is just “I think I can buy this widget for £1 and sell it for £1.50”, it’s still a statement of what the business will do and how it will make a profit.

But many – in fact, most – wannabe property investors start out without even the most basic of plans. Often, people have nothing more than vague thoughts like “ property prices go up, so it’s a good investment ” or “ most wealthy people seem to own property ”.

It might feel like sitting around planning is just delaying you from getting out to look at properties and start making money. But take it from someone who’s spoken to a lot of investors over the last few years: almost everyone who achieves great success started out with a solid plan.

(Or to put it another, more painful way: almost everyone who didn’t start with a plan ends up disappointed with where they end up – however much effort, money and time they put in.)

What does a rental property business plan look like?

It certainly doesn't need to be 100 spiral-bound pages of projections and fancy charts. In fact, the best plan would be so simple that it fits on the back of an index card – meaning that you can commit it to memory and use it to drive every decision you make.

In order to get to that simplicity though, you might need to do some seriously brain-straining thinking first.

It's not easy, but it is simple: your plan basically just needs to set out…

Where you are now

• Where you want to get to, and
• What actions you're going to take to bridge the gap

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To give a cheesy analogy, you can't plan a route unless you know where you're starting from.

Working out your starting point is the easiest part, because it involves information that's either known or easily knowable to you.

You'll need to be clear about:

• The amount of money you've got to invest
• The amount of savings you can allocate to property investment in future years
• The time you can invest each week or month
• The skills and knowledge you can apply to your property business

Note that I said it was the easiest part, but still not easy – because it involves honesty about what you can commit, and self-knowledge to determine where your strengths lie.

Knowing how much money you've got to invest should be straightforward, but it's probably worthwhile speaking to a mortgage broker to check that you'll have borrowing options – because this will determine your total investment figure. A broker will also be able to tell you about your options around releasing equity from your own home, if that's something you want to consider.

I'd also strongly encourage you to consider what “emergency fund” you want to keep in cash, and deduct that from your total investable funds. I suggest having at least six months' expenses in the bank at all times: the last thing you want is to plough every last penny into investments, then lose your job the next day and be unable to pay your bills.

Where you want to get to

So now you know where you're starting from, where do you want to end up? In other words, what's your goal?

Yes, you want to be “rich”, or “secure”, or “build a future” – but what does that actually mean, in pounds and pence terms, for you?

And just as importantly, when do you want to have achieved that?

You might be surprised by how much thought is involved in answering these questions properly. It's easy to throw around terms like “enough to fund my lifestyle” and assume that it might involve an income of £10,000 per month, but it's another matter entirely to look honestly at your ideal lifestyle and determine what a genuinely meaningful figure is.

The same is true for “when” – and it's an often-ignored factor that actually cuts to the heart of the most basic of investment decisions.

For example, take a choice between two properties:

• Property 1 will give a return on your investment of 15% but will probably never increase in value
• Property 2 will give a return of 7% but has the potential to double in value over the next decade.

If your goal is to create a certain monthly income within three years, the Property 1 is likely to be a better choice. Growth is unlikely to happen to any great extent over that time, so you need to optimise for cash in the bank right now.

On the other hand, if you have a decade before you want to have achieved your goal, Property 2 is probably the better bet. It very much is a “bet” because you're taking something of a gamble on capital growth, but it's got a lot of time to happen – and when it does, your returns will dwarf the higher rental income you'd have made from the other property.

That's just one example of why making even simple decisions in your property business are impossible without having that most basic ingredient of your plan: where you ultimately want to end up, and when.

So, by this point in the plan you need to:

• Assess your finances to build up an honest picture of where you are now
• Put some serious thought into where you want to get to, and when

If you need help with this goal-setting process, I co-own Property Hub Invest which offers free strategy meetings . It's often easier to work this stuff out in conversation with someone who knows their stuff, rather than doing it all in your own head.

That's a great start, but for most people it'll produce an uncomfortable insight: the gap between where you are and where you want to be seems impossibly large! With the resources you've got now, how are you possibly going to reach your goal in a sensible period of time?

Well, that's where it's time to start thinking about the details of the third step: the strategy you'll use to pursue your goal.

A strategy to bridge the gap

The steps you take to get from Point A to Point Z are what's commonly referred to as your strategy – and strategy is a vital component of your business plan.

The way I like to think about strategy is the way you compensate for a lack of cash . It's an unusual way to look at it, but I find it useful – because it tells you (given your timeframe and your goal) how much heavy-lifting your strategy will need to do to keep you on track.

Think of it like this: if you had £10m in the bank and your goal was to make an income of £5,000 per month within a year, you wouldn't need any strategy at all . You could just use your £10m to buy any properties, anywhere – you wouldn't need to maximise the rent, manage them well or even keep them all occupied at all times! You'd be able to buy so much property that you really couldn't fail.

Sure, it'd be a pretty stupid thing to do – you should really have had a more ambitious goal – but you get the point.

Obviously, most of us aren't in that position – and that's why we need a strategy.

So, just what position are you in?

A rule of thumb

A handy way of looking at it is to take the amount of money you've got to invest in property, and assume that you can get a 5% annual return on that money (ROI) – which is a rough rule-of-thumb for a normal property bought with a 75% mortgage.

So, if you've got £100,000, you can generate a (pre-tax) profit of £5,000 per year – or £416 per month.

That's unlikely to be enough to hit most people's goals – but then there's the time factor. If you save up the rental income for 20 years, you'll be able to buy another batch of properties just like the first – so you'll now have income of £832 per month.

If you're happy with that, then you've already got your strategy: buy properties that will give you your desired ROI, then wait!

Portfolio-building strategies

But most people will want more than that: we've hardly been talking about life-changing sums, and 20 years is a long time to wait before you can buy again!

This is where more of an advanced strategy comes in, allowing you to get better results, faster.

This might include:

• Buying properties and adding value, so you can refinance at the higher value and buy your next property more quickly ( learn more about this strategy )
• Buying properties at a discount, allowing you again to refinance at the higher value and move on to the next one
• Turning properties into HMOs, so you can generate a higher ROI on them
• “Flipping” properties for a profit, so you can replenish your cash more quickly ( read my guide to flipping )

…or something else entirely.

I go into different strategies in enormous detail in my book, The Complete Guide To Property Investment .

Simply appreciating the need for one of these strategies from the start is a really big deal.

Most people don't: they'll rush in, use all their money to buy properties that generate (say) £500 profit per month, then…what? They'll be stuck – because they didn't go in with a plan for how they were going to get to their target number . They'll effectively be starting from scratch, having to scrape together the money to go again.

It's extremely common, and it doesn't surprise me – but it does frustrate me. If they'd started with just a bit of time making a plan, they wouldn't have made this mistake – because it would have become very obvious that they wouldn't reach their goal without applying some strategy.

Any of the strategies I listed (or a different one, or a combination of several of them), when applied effectively, can get you to where you need to be. But that's not to say that all of them will be equally good for you. Each of them has different risk factors, requires different time commitments, are suited to different skill sets, and so on.

That's why this is your business plan: copying someone else's homework isn't going to do you any good, because their skills, attributes and preferences will be different from yours.

For example, one person's plan might be to get their hands dirty by renovating properties for resale – completing two projects per year, and using the profits to buy an HMO. Within five years they'll have five HMOs, which will give them all the income they need.

Someone else might be hopeless at anything hands-on, but a master negotiator. Their plan could be to buy at enough of a discount that they can pull at least half of their funds back out again by refinancing – and keep doing that until in ten years' time they have 15 single-let properties giving them their target income figure.

(That's why when someone emails me asking if their strategy “sounds good”, I have to say that I don't know: usually it sounds like on paper like it would work for someone , but I have no idea if they're the right person to execute it.)

So, coming up with your strategy involves:

• Starting with an assessment of where you are now
• Deciding where you want to get to, and by when
• Seeing how far you'll fall short by just buying “normal” properties
• Thinking about your own skills, time and preferences to choose which strategy (or strategies) you'll use to fill in the gap

It might take a while, and that's OK – it's not an easy decision . To take the pressure off though, remember: your plan isn't set in stone. It's important to start with a clear vision and not get distracted by every new opportunity that comes your way, but every plan is just a starting point: you'll be seeing what works, reviewing and adjusting course along the way.

Once you've got a strategy down on paper, that's a huge step – and you should congratulate yourself, because it's a step that most people will never make (and will suffer for).

But of course, the act of writing the plan isn't going to magic it into existence: you need to get out there and execute on the plan.

Turning your property business plan into action

Having an appropriate goal and a solid strategy to get you there are essential, sure – but nothing is going to happen until you actually take the steps that are necessary to execute that strategy.

If you don't take the time to identify the steps and make a plan to carry them out, you'll end up in “pulling an all-nighter the day before your homework is due in” mode. And you don't want that: it's no good setting a five-year goal, feeling all virtuous for being such a strategic and big-picture thinker, then realising in four years and 364 days that you've not actually got any closer towards making it a reality!

So let's get those steps in place. And the good news is…it's really simple. (The best things usually are.)

Breaking it down

However big, ambitious and far in the future a goal seems to be, all goals are achieved in exactly the same way : by breaking them down into individual tasks, and working through those tasks one by one.

As you work through those tasks, it’s important to have sub-goals as “checkpoints” along the way.

Sub-goals are how you stay on track: by setting a deadline for each sub-goal, you can make sure that your progress is fast enough. They also keep you motivated, because it means you’ll always have a small “win” on the horizon: you won’t just be looking at the main goal (potentially) years off in the future. Think of them as mile markers at the side of a marathon course.

To put it another way:

Small task + Small task + Small task = Sub-goal Sub-goal + Sub-goal + Sub-goal = Overall goal

It's those small daily tasks that are the foundations of your achievement. And that's the beauty of a good plan: all you need to concentrate on is ticking off your tasks each day, and your overall goal is achieved automatically!

So, this final step in your plan is about breaking that big goal down into sub-goals, and those sub-goals down into bite-sized individual tasks. That's it!

As you break it down, there are a few things I find are useful to think about…

One-off tasks v recurring tasks

Your business will have two types of task:

• One-off tasks , like finding a mortgage broker
• Recurring tasks , like viewing properties and making offers

These two types of task will both appear in your weekly, monthly and quarterly to-do lists. A useful way of planning your time is to start by filling in your recurring tasks – like going through portals to find new potential acquisitions every day, and calling agents to follow up on offers once per week – then adding your recurring tasks on top.

By thinking about both types, you'll make sure you're not dropping the ball on the important day-by-day stuff, but you're also not ignoring the big-picture one-offs that are going to make a huge difference to your business in the long run.

The first, simplest step

Just like you break a goal down into sub-goals and sub-goals down into tasks, I favour breaking every one-off task down into the smallest possible unit .

For example, “find a mortgage broker” could be an important one-off task for you, but it's not something you can just sit down and do until it's done. Because it seems nebulous and you can never identify a block of time when you can do it from start to finish, you can end up never doing it at all.

Instead, you'll make yourself feel better by ticking off smaller tasks that seem easier – but are often less important.

The solution is to break every task down into as many sub-tasks as possible. So instead of “find a mortgage broker”, the tasks become :

• Email 3 contacts to ask for recommendations
• Post on The Property Hub forum to ask for recommendations
• Email everyone who is recommended to set up a quick call
• Draw up a shortlist of 2-3 people to have a longer conversation with
• Pick a winner

Doesn't that seem much easier already? You can imagine sitting down and bashing out the first task in five minutes right now, then you're underway!

Who will do each job?

Here's a potential lightbulb moment: you don't have to do everything in your business yourself.

Any business has different “functions”, or departments – like sales, manufacturing, and admin. A property business is no exception.

The basic functions of all property businesses are the same:

• Acquisition
• Refurbishment
• Refinancing/selling

The types of task that fall within each function will depend on your business plan. For example, if your aim is to find properties you can buy “below market value”, acquisition could be a major part of the business – involving direct-to-vendor marketing, networking with estate agents, and attending auctions.

On the other hand, if your model involves buying properties that you think will experience strong capital growth, there could be a lot more tasks in the “research” part of the business – and acquisition could be very straightforward once you’ve identified the opportunity itself.

Could you do every task within every function yourself? Maybe.

Could the business achieve better results if you bring in specialists to do what they do best? Definitely .

You could go big and employ an assistant to view properties and make offers for you, or just make sure you outsource functions like management and accountancy to the relevant professionals.

Whatever you do, once you start thinking about your property venture as a business with various departments, you'll start to break away from the idea that this is something you have to do all on your own – and that's a very powerful insight.

OK, this has been a long one – but we've covered a lot of ground.

To recap, those critical steps are:

• Assess where you are now
• Work out where you want to be, and by when
• Outline a strategy to get you there
• Fill in the detail, to get you from “big picture” to individual steps

It's a process that's worked for me, and I've seen it work for many investors I've encouraged to put it into action too.

Its power is in its simplicity: you take the time to intelligently decide exactly what you need to do, then you figure out a way to (to borrow a registered trademark) just do it . As long as you show up and work through your to-do list each day, the big, scary, long-term goal takes care of itself!

Of course, you'll need to assess your progress and adjust course along the way: nothing will pan out exactly as expected, and there's a lot that can change over a timespan of several years.

But by having your plan, what you won't do is get distracted by every new idea that comes your way – researching HMOs one day, and holiday lets the next – and end up getting nowhere.

(You'd be amazed by how many plan-less people that description fits to a tee.)

So now you know how to put a property business plan together. It's not a plan that will necessarily get you funding from the bank, but it's something more important than that: a plan you can use every day to make sure you stay on track to hit your goals.

The one thing that every successful investor does

Your 10 Step Guide to Building a Real Estate Investing Business Plan

Real estate empires grow from a blueprint, not last-minute hunches. This guide outlines how to create a real estate investing business plan to help you navigate market dynamics, seek funding, and add to your team so that you can successfully grow your business.

Table of Contents

Let’s be honest, the idea of drafting a formal real estate investing business plan probably doesn’t excite you. After all, you got into real estate investing to scout deals and transform properties, not write novels full of financial projections.

But experienced investors know a solid plan spells the difference between profitability and major headaches. It forces clarity on direction and feasibility before you sink hundreds of thousands into property purchases and rehabs.

Think of your business plan as a blueprint for success tailored to your unique investment goals and market conditions. Whether you currently own a few rentals or are launching a full-fledged development firm, a plan guides decisions, aligns partners, and demonstrates viability to secure financing.

So how do you build one effectively without needless complexity? What key strategy areas require your focus? Let’s explore components that set you up for growth while avoiding common first-timer pitfalls. With realistic planning as your foundation, your investing journey can start smooth and stay the course.

What is a real estate investing business plan?

At its core, a real estate investment business plan is simply a strategic guide outlining your intended real estate approach. It defines target markets, preferred project types based on expertise, capital sources, growth strategy, key operational procedures, and other investment specifics tailored to your situation.

View your plan as an evolving document rather than a rigid static rulebook collecting dust. It should provide goalposts and guardrails as markets shift over time and new opportunities appear. You'll be able to refer back to the plan to confirm that these new opportunities align with proven tactics that yield predictable returns.

Detailed upfront planning provides a sound foundation for confident direction. It protects stakeholders by identifying potential pitfalls and mitigation strategies before costly surprises trip up the stability of your real estate business.

So, it's worth it to take the time and develop a customized plan aligned to your niche, resources, and risk tolerance. While initially tedious, the practice of putting together your strategic real estate business plan ultimately provides clarity and confidence moving forward.

Importance of having a business plan

Now that we’ve defined what a business plan is, let’s explore why having one matters — especially if you want to grow a successful real estate investment company.

Have you considered what originally attracted you to investing in properties? Whether it was rehabbing flips, acquiring rentals, or simply a lucrative hobby, your motivations and ideal path can get lost in the daily distractions of life. That’s where an intentional business plan provides clarity and conviction moving forward.

Reasons every real estate investor should prioritize planning are:

• Goals and vision : You might be wanting to quit your day job and focus on real estate full time, or you might simply want to generate some extra income on the side. Either way, a business plan forces you to define what success looks like for you.
• Due diligence : Creating a plan forces you to research the real estate markets you want to invest in — analyzing sales, rents, permits, zoning, demographics, and growth projections. This helps you objectively identify high-potential neighborhoods and properties rather than relying on hearsay or intuition.
• Funding and financing : Lenders and potential investors will want to review your business plan to evaluate the viability and profitability of your real estate investment business before offering any financing . A complete plan builds credibility and confidence with stakeholders.
• Guide decision-making : It's easy to get distracted by the latest real estate seminar or shiny new construction techniques. But sticking to the parameters and strategies laid out in your plan prevents you from making hasty changes or going down rabbit holes.
• Identify potential risks : There are always things that can unexpectedly go wrong: what if interest rates spike and make your loans unaffordable, or your best tenants move out and unreliable folks move in? Brainstorming these scenarios in advance allows you to minimize risks and have contingency plans.
• Systemize operations : As you grow, how will you scale operations? A business plan helps you identify areas that will require attention as your business evolves, like creating maintenance checklists for rentals, standardizing lease agreements , or automating accounting procedures.
• Build the right team : Your business plan provides guidance on the team you'll need for your business. Know if you require a real estate agent to help you find deals or a property manager to handle tenant complaints at 2 AM.
• Track progress : Your plan helps you compare things like actual rehab costs, rental occupancy rates, cash flow, etc. to your initial projections and determine whether you're on track.  You can then make adjustments as needed.
• Maintain strategy : As you scale your operations with new hires or partnerships, you'll want to maintain direction in alignment with your original business plan. For example, if you are considering new verticals like commercial real estate, does evaluation criteria match your proven risk metrics and return hurdles? A real estate business plan keeps everyone focused on the same goals as your business grows.

What to include in a real estate investment business plan

A good real estate investing business plan covers everything from business goals to financing strategy. Here are the ten key elements you should include:

1. Executive summary

The executive summary provides a high-level overview of your real estate investment business plan. It briefly describes your company mission, objectives, competitive advantages, growth strategies, team strengths, and financial outlook.

Think of it as the elevator pitch for your business plan, and write it last after you have completed the full plan. Limit it to 1-2 pages at most.

Make your executive summary compelling and motivate investors or lenders to learn more. Be sure to also summarize your past successes and experiences to build credibility.

2. Company description

The company description section provides background details on your real estate investment company. Keep this section brief, but use it to legitimize your business and team.

• Business model : Explain your core business model and investment strategies. Will you primarily flip properties, buy and hold rentals, conduct wholesale deals, or use another approach?
• Company history and achievements : Provide a brief timeline of your company's history, including its formation, past projects, key milestones, and achievements.
• Legal business structure : Identify your corporate structure, such as LLC , S-Corp , C-Corp, or sole proprietorship.
• Office location : Provide your company's office address, which lends you credibility. If you are initially working from home, consider establishing a local PO Box or virtual address.
• Founders and key team members : Introduce your founders and key team members. Highlight relevant real estate, finance, management expertise, and credentials.
• Past projects : Provide an overview of any successful prior real estate projects your company or founders have executed.
• Competitive advantages : Explain unique resources, systems, or other strengths that give your company an edge over competitors. These could be proprietary analytic models, contractor relationships, deal access, or specialized expertise.
• Technologies and tools : Discuss technologies, software programs, or tools your company uses to streamline processes and optimize operations.

3. Market analysis

The market analysis section validates whether your real estate investment strategy makes sense in a given area.

Conduct detailed research from multiple sources to create realistic real estate investment market projections and identify potentially profitable opportunities.

Outline why certain neighborhoods, property types, or price points pique your interest more than others.

Your market analysis should dig deep into factors like:

• Local sales and rental price trends : Analyze pricing history and current trends for both sales and rents. Look at different property types, sizes, and neighborhoods.
• Housing inventory and demand analysis : Research the balance of supply and demand and how that impacts prices. Is the market undersupplied or oversupplied?
• Market growth projections : Review forecasts from real estate analysts on expected market growth or decline in coming years. Incorporate these projections into your analysis.
• Competitor analysis : Identify other real estate investors actively acquiring or managing properties in your target areas. Look at their business models and strategies.
• Target neighborhood and property analysis : Provide an in-depth analysis of your chosen neighborhoods and target property types. Outline positive attributes, risks, and opportunities.
• Demographic analysis : Analyze the demographics of potential tenants or homebuyers for your target properties. Factors like income, age, and family size impact demand.
• Local construction and renovation costs : Research materials and labor costs for accurate budgets and understand the permitting process and timelines.
• Regional economic outlook : Factor in projections for job growth, new employers, infrastructure projects, and how they may impact the real estate market.

4. SWOT analysis

SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Conducting a SWOT analysis means stepping back from day-to-day business to assess your broader position and path from a strategic lens.

Internal strengths for your real estate investment business may include an experienced team skilled in major rehab projects, strong contractor relationships, or access to private lending capital. Weaknesses might be limited staff for handling tenant maintenance issues across a growing rental portfolio or only having a small number of referral partners for deal flow.

External opportunities can come from accelerating population growth and development in your target market, new zoning favorable to multifamily housing, or record-low mortgage interest rates. Threats could be rising material prices that hurt your flip margins, laws imposing restrictions on non-primary residence owners, or an oversupply of new luxury rentals, allowing tenants to be choosy.

The SWOT analysis highlights strengths to double down on and risks to mitigate in the real estate market.

5. Financial projections

The financial plan helps for both internal preparation and attracting investors. For real estate companies, the financial plan section should cover:

• Startup costs : Include the expected startup costs involved to start your investment project, such as getting licenses and permits or paying for legal fees.
• Profit and loss forecasts : Create projected profit and loss statements that outline what you think your revenues and expenses will be over the next 3-5 years.
• Cash flow projections : Put together projected cash flow statements that show expected cash flow for each month.
• Return on investment projections : Project your company's expected ROI over time under the different investment scenarios.
• Funding requirements : Based on your forecasts, detail exactly how much capital you will need to start and operate your business until it is profitable. Specify whether you plan to use debt or equity financing.

6. Investment strategy

The investment strategy outlines your niche — will you focus on flipping, buying rentals, commercial properties, or a blend? Define any geographic targets like certain cities or zip codes backed by your research on growth potential.

Specify your criteria for ideal investment properties based on your goals. Decide which factors — age, size, layout, condition, or price point — matter most to you.

You can also use this section to explain how you plan to find deals, whether that's by scouting listed properties, attending foreclosure auctions, or networking to create off-market opportunities.

Clearly conveying your approach allows lenders and potential private investors to grasp your niche, planned pursuits, and process for finding deals. Having a strong strategy that summarizes how you locate, evaluate and capture deals matching your investing thesis can increase lender and private investor confidence in your ability to execute.

7. Marketing plan

Real estate marketing can’t just be an afterthought; it helps attract profitable deals, financing, and tenants to your business, making it a necessary component of your business plan to prioritize.

Components of your marketing plan can include:

• Networking: Actively networking at local real estate meetups puts you directly in front of promising off-market opportunities and partnerships with motivated sellers, lenders and contractors in your community.
• Social media: Consistently nurturing your social media presence can also pay off to help you find opportunities or potential investors.
• Direct marketing: Never underestimate old school direct marketing — sending postcards to addresses with outdated “We Buy Houses” signs or calling the For Sale by Owners numbers from public listings can help you reach motivated sellers.
• Listings management: Note that marketing does not end once you own property. To keep rental vacancies filled, leverage listing sites that can publish your units to a wide audience of prospective tenants.

8. Operations plan

Without systems, real estate investors struggle through renovations plagued by cost overruns, shoddy contractors who never call back, and frustrating tenants who always pay late . The operations component of your plan should consider aspects like:

• Renovations: Ever lined up a contractor who juggles too many clients and leaves your projects languishing? Create standardized processes for accurate scoping, vetting subs, enforcing deadlines contractually, and maintaining contingency funds.
• Business technologies: As your portfolio grows, tasks like tracking income, expenses , assets, and communicating with tenants can quickly overwhelm. Identify technologies early on that help centralize details to avoid getting swamped. Look into property management platforms that automate listings, tenant screening , digitized lease agreements, maintenance work order flows, and communications.
• Insurance: Tenants or contractors can sometimes damage assets. Discuss landlord insurance policies to protect you against lawsuits, natural disasters, and major property repairs as you scale up.

9. Team structure

If you plan to grow your team beyond just yourself or a few partners, your business plan should outline your organization's key roles and responsibilities. This helps you consider what positions you may need to fill as your company scales.

• Partners or co-founders: These are the main decision-makers and equity holders. Outline their background, skills, and the value they bring.
• Property manager: This person handles day-to-day management of properties, tenants and maintenance issues.
• Bookkeeper: You may need daily help managing bank accounts, invoices, taxes, and financial reporting.
• Contractors and project managers : You'll need trusted renovations, repairs, and landscaping contractors. Dedicated project managers help oversee large jobs.
• Leasing agents : As you grow and add more properties, leasing agents handle showings, applications, and signing new tenants.
• Real estate attorneys : Real estate investing requires proper legal filings and compliance. Attorneys can help you manage this risk.

10. Exit strategies

Every wise investor plans their exit strategy upfront before acquiring a property. Will you aim to flip the asset quickly or retain it as a rental long-term? What factors determine ideal timing and the right profit margin for you to walk away?

Build flexibility into your strategy, as markets move in unpredictable ways. Especially with flips, have contingency plans if your listing gets lowballs or no offers. Be willing to rent short-term, refinance and hold if possible, convert to condos, or just patiently wait until the market changes. Having reserves and backup options allows you to avoid a distress sale.

Also include plans for strategies after a property sale, like a 1031 exchange to defer capital gains taxes and reinvest in another property. You may want to use sale proceeds to reduce or clear outstanding debts, enhancing cash flow and financial standing.

Tips for your real estate business plan 

Now that you know what to include, consider the following four tips to help your real estate investment business plan stand out.

1. Be detailed and specific

Resist the urge to gloss over details as you put together your plan. Drill down on the specifics for parameters like:

• Target purchase and rehab costs.
• Timelines for completing projects.
• Minimum profit margins.
• Maximum allowable vacancy rates .
• Minimum cash reserves.

2. Refine and update regularly

Markets change, so don't create your business plan and file it away. Review your plan regularly to see how market conditions and your actual results compare to projections.

Make adjustments as needed. Tweak your approach if your rehabs are going over budget or your properties aren't selling as quickly as expected.

Aim to update your full plan annually at a minimum. Even if your overall strategy remains consistent, refresh the details around market factors, financials, tactics, risks, and projections.

3. Seek expert feedback

Before implementing your new real estate investment business plan, seek feedback from advisors who can identify potential issues or weaknesses.

Ask experienced real estate investors in your area to review your plan and provide constructive input. It's also a good idea to share your plan and numbers with your CPA and legal counsel as well.

4. Keep it simple

While specificity is good, don't over complicate your business plan to the point where it becomes difficult to follow. You want to inform readers without confusing them.

The goal is for stakeholders, such as co-investors, lenders, and partners, to easily digest your plan and understand it after a quick skim. Make it easy for readers to grasp your reasons behind focusing on a given area or project type based on market conditions and opportunity.

A property investment business plan fit to your goals

After finally finishing your business plan, you’re probably eager to dive into tangible investments rather than tweaking spreadsheets. But in the real estate industry, even experienced investors periodically step back and update strategies.

Approach your business plan as a living document that evolves as the market shifts, as you create new partnerships, or when you need to make changes in strategy. Set reminders to revisit quarterly and confirm your activities of today still align with the vision from day one.

Solid planning is proven to improve outcomes in dynamic industries like real estate investing. Though preparation isn’t glamorous, it pays dividends. Thoughtfully constructing your playbook puts the odds of executing successfully in your favor.

With a solid blueprint backed by your research, you’re now ready to capture the best real estate investment opportunities.

Business plan real estate investor FAQs

How do i stay flexible and adapt my business plan to changes in the market.

To stay flexible, review your real estate investing business plan regularly and update it based on changes in market conditions, trends, and opportunities. If things change in the market, find ways to adapt your strategy. This can include your goals, target market, financing, and even your exit plans.

How do I know if my real estate investing business plan is effective?

You'll know your business plan is effective if you're meeting the key objectives and metrics you outlined. Let's say your plan called for you to purchase a certain number of properties and achieve a specific cash flow or rate of return. If you're falling short, you can use the plan to course-correct.

Are there any specific software or tools for creating a real estate investing business plan?

Azibo is a helpful software tool for creating real estate investing business plans. This comprehensive platform has templates and tools to build out key sections of your plan. Its robust accounting and financial capabilities help construct accurate statements and projections.

Incorporating Azibo's online rent collection allows you to model cash flows. By centralizing lease documents , accounting, and portfolio management, Azibo streamlines the process of putting together a strategically sound real estate business plan.

Important Note: This post is for informational and educational purposes only. It should not be taken as legal, accounting, or tax advice, nor should it be used as a substitute for such services. Always consult your own legal, accounting, or tax counsel before taking any action based on this information.

Nichole co-founded Gateway Private Equity Group, with a history of investments in single-family and multi-family properties, and now a specialization in hotel real estate investments. She is also the creator of NicsGuide.com, a blog dedicated to real estate investing.

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How to Write a Real Estate Business Plan + Example Templates

Elon Glucklich

7 min. read

Updated August 1, 2024

Free Download:  Sample Real Estate Business Plan Template

Owning property – it’s one of the cornerstones of the global economy. And with real estate accounting for roughly $3.7 trillion worldwide, it’s no wonder so many people get into the real estate business.

But the real estate industry is constantly evolving, with new technologies and market trends shaping the way people buy, sell and manage properties. Whether you’re looking to start a home buying and selling business, a commercial real estate investment firm, a property management company or real estate investment trust, you need a well-thought-out business plan that not only outlines the steps to create a comprehensive and effective business structure, but also accounts for real estate’s unique challenges and opportunities.

A real estate business plan shares many similarities with a standard business plan. Here on Bplans, we’ve got a great guide already on how to write a traditional business plan .

In this article, we’ll outline the key points to consider when creating a comprehensive and effective business plan for your real estate business. You can also download our free real estate business plan template .

• Understand licensing requirements

Your business plan will certainly include a company description – this is where you’ll outline your business, including its legal structure, management team and more.

What’s your area of expertise?

Go into detail describing the area or areas of the real estate market you plan to operate in: residential sales, commercial leasing, property management, or more niche markets like luxury real estate or vacation rentals. Your business may want to mix two or more of these segments.

Once you’ve identified your niche, you’ll need to obtain any necessary licenses and permits. This process can be time-consuming and complex, so it’s best to research the requirements ahead of time and create a plan to ensure you’re compliant with all regulations. License and permit requirements vary by state and locality, so be sure to check with your local government to ensure you have all the necessary paperwork filed.

• Get a good team

Depending on the market segment or segments you’re targeting for your real estate business, you’ll need to identify the team members that will help you get your business off the ground.

Brokers, contractors, legal and financial advice

If your plan calls for purchasing properties, you’ll need a team of real estate agents or brokers. Document how they will help you find and acquire real estate, as well as how they can assist with marketing and selling properties once they’re in your portfolio.

You will also want to document how contractors and inspectors will help you assess the condition of properties you are considering purchasing, and provide estimates for repairs or renovations. 

Real estate markets are rife with legal hurdles, so you will want an experienced real estate attorney to help you navigate these issues. Document how you will be able to draft contracts and review lease agreements, and the guidance you will receive on zoning laws and regulations

Finally, an accountant can help you manage your finances, including bookkeeping, taxes, and financial planning. They can also advise you on the best business structure for your company.

• Plan for visibility in a crowded space

With so much competition, it’s essential to develop and document a strategic marketing plan for promoting your real estate services.

Your marketing plan should detail the channels and tactics you’ll deploy to reach your target audience and convert them into clients. Identify the most effective marketing channels to reach your target audience, such as social media, email marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and content marketing.

Embrace online lead generation

These days, a vast majority of prospective buyers start their search online when looking for properties. So you’ll want to detail how you will optimize your web presence. You can also outline a content marketing plan that will position your company as an expert in the areas your target markets are interested in. These could include topical blog posts, articles, social media posts, videos and other content types to engage potential clients and showcase your expertise. All of these will make it easier for clients to find you.

Document your entire sales process

Of course, there will be plenty of in-person work to do, too.

With long sales lead times, you will also want to describe your sales process and how you will meet sales targets. This should include prospecting methods, lead generation techniques, and follow-up strategies. Establish a client relationship management (CRM) system to manage leads, schedule client consultations, property showings, offer negotiations and contract signings so you can demonstrate that you will be able to manage and transactions effectively.

• Show how you will stay ahead of the market

Demonstrating in your business plan that you have conducted a thorough market analysis is crucial. To conduct an effective market analysis for your business plan, you should investigate the current state of the real estate market in your target area, including property prices, sales volumes and inventory levels. You will also want to examine the competitive landscape in your target area by analyzing other real estate businesses offering similar services.

Understand your customers’ needs

Next, determine the economic conditions and needs of the specific customer segments you want to serve, whether they’re first-time homebuyers, luxury property investors or commercial property renters. The more you understand how your target audience feels about the real estate market in your area, the better you will be able to tailor your services.

You will also need to show your knowledge of external factors like mortgage rates, and local, state and federal government regulations that may impact the real estate market. These factors all contribute to market volatility, so showing how you will manage market shifts and adjust your strategies will better position you to mitigate potential risks by identifying them in your business plan and documenting contingency plans.

• Create a financial plan to secure funds

It’s hard to operate a successful real estate business without access to capital. And you can’t expect to receive any – whether through a bank loan or investment – without a detailed analysis of your financial projections and funding requirements.

Think long-term

A 3-5 year financial forecast will demonstrate that you have a long-term vision for your business. Be sure to base your financials on market research and up-to-date industry data. You may also want to consider different scenarios, like best-case, worst-case and most likely outcomes to account for potential fluctuations in the market.

The forecasts should include: profit and loss statements, which illustrate your business’s revenue, expenses, and net profit or loss over a specific period; cash flow projections, which help you determine your business’s ability to generate positive cash flow; and balance sheets, which provide a snapshot of your business’s financial health, including its assets and liabilities.

Speak the language of investors

If you are writing your business requires specifically to secure outside funding, you should clearly specify the purpose and amount needed in this section. Describe how the funds will be used, whether for purchasing property, hiring staff or launching a marketing campaign. And detail the type of funding you are seeking, whether it’s a loan, equity investment or a combination. Include information on your desired terms, repayment schedule and any collateral you can provide.

Above all, be transparent about your funding needs and show potential investors or lenders how their investment will contribute to your business’s success and generate a return on investment.

• Real estate business plan templates and examples

Because of the intense competition, changing market conditions and startup funding needed, it’s important to write a comprehensive business plan if you’re considering starting a business in the real estate industry. Taking the time to plan out your business before getting started will minimize your risk and maximize your potential for financial success.

To help get you started, download our free home real estate business plan template . You can also download the business plan template in Word form and use it as a foundation for your own business plan.

In addition to these resources, you may want to brush up on how to write specific sections of a traditional business plan. If so, take a look at our step-by-step guide on how to write a business plan .

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Elon is a marketing specialist at Palo Alto Software, working with consultants, accountants, business instructors and others who use LivePlan at scale. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and an MBA from the University of Oregon.

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Real Estate Investment Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Real Estate Investment Business Plan

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 5,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their real estate businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a real estate investing business plan step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Real Estate Investment Business Plan Template here >

What is a Real Estate Business Plan?

A successful business plan provides a snapshot of your real estate business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why Successful Real Estate Investors Use a Business Plan

If you’re looking to start a real estate business or grow your existing business you need a business plan. A solid business plan will help guide your business strategy, your investment strategy and your decision-making. Having a comprehensive business plan is crucial for several reasons:

• To Secure Financing : Most lenders and investors want to see a well-reasoned business plan before they consider funding your real estate venture. Your plan should convince them that you fully understand your market, have a viable strategy and have a management team that can execute. These factors in your plan give investors the confidence that they’ll receive an adequate return on their investment, and make lenders feel that you’ll be able to pay their loan back with interest.
• To Identify Business Goals and Objectives : A business plan helps you to clearly define what you want to achieve with your real estate business over the next five years. These objectives include financial goals, such as revenue targets, or operational goals, such as property acquisition rates.
• To Understand the Market : Conducting market research and including this in your business plan gives you a deeper understanding of the real estate market you’re entering, including potential challenges and real estate investment opportunities. This knowledge helps you craft better marketing, operational, financial and strategic decisions.
• To Plan for Growth : Your business plan should outline the milestones you expect to achieve over the coming months and years. This helps keep you and your team focused and less prone to become distracted with new opportunities that may push you in the wrong direction.
• To Manage Risk : By identifying potential risks in your business plan, you can devise strategies to mitigate them. This proactive approach can save your business from potential pitfalls in the future.

In summary, developing a strategic business plan is a key step for real estate investors who want to launch or expand their business successfully. Your plan will improve and lay out your strategy and keep you focused so you can flawlessly execute it.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

How to write a business plan for a real estate investment company.

A detailed real estate investment business plan should include 10 sections as follows:

Executive Summary

Company analysis, industry analysis, customer analysis, competitive analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan.

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of real estate investing business you are operating and the status; for example, are you a startup, do you have a business that you would like to grow, or are you operating a chain of real estate investment companies?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the real estate industry. Discuss the type of real estate investment business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing strategies. Identify the key team members, and offer an overview of your financial plan.

In your company analysis, you will provide a company description of the real estate investment business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types: Real estate investment companies do two basic things: invest in real estate and trade in real estate.

• Real estate investment is a long-term investment wherein you purchase real estate with the intent of keeping properties to rent out.
• Real estate trading is a short-term investment, wherein you buy a property that needs fixing up and flip it for a higher price soon after.

In addition to explaining the type of real estate investment company you operate, the Company Analysis section of your real estate business plan needs to provide background on the business. Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include sales goals you’ve reached, new store openings, etc.
• Your legal business structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the real estate investing business.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the real estate investment industry educates you. It helps you understand the target market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy particularly if your research identifies market trends. For example, if there was a trend towards increasing foreclosures in a particular city, it would be helpful to ensure your plan calls for an increased focus in this real estate market.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your real estate investing business plan:

• How big is the real estate investment industry (in dollars)?
• Is the real estate market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the target market for your real estate investment business. You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

The customer analysis section of your real estate investing business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve. The following are examples of customer segments: mortgage holders, home buyers, renters, etc.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of real estate investment business you operate. Clearly first-time home buyers would want different pricing and product options, and would respond to different marketing efforts than banks.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve. Because most real estate investment businesses primarily serve customers living in their same city or town, such demographic information is easy to find on government websites.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.  

Finish Your Real Estate Investment Business Plan in 1 Day!

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Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other real estate investment businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes property management companies, realtors, and DIY home fixer-uppers. You need to mention such competition to show you understand that not everyone who purchases or leases real estate uses a real estate investment business to do so.

With regards to direct competition, you want to detail the other real estate investment businesses with which you compete. Most likely, your direct competitors will be real estate investment businesses located very close to your location.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Unless you once worked at your competitors’ businesses, it will be impossible to know everything about them. But you should be able to find out key things about them such as:

• What types of customers do they serve?
• What products do they offer?
• What is their pricing (premium, low, etc.)?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective. And don’t be afraid to ask your competitors’ customers what they like most and least about them.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your competitive advantages. For example:

• Will you specialize in a particular real estate type or market?
• Will you provide services that your competitors don’t offer?
• Will you make it easier or faster for customers to acquire your real estate?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.

Traditionally, a marketing plan includes the four P’s: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. For a real estate investing business, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : in the product section you should reiterate the type of real estate investment company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, will you offer residential properties, or commercial properties?

Price : Document the prices you will offer and how they compare to your competitors. In this section, you are presenting the types of real estate you offer and the current price ranges.

Place : Place refers to the location of your business. Document your location and mention how the location will impact your success. For example, is your real estate investment business located in a market with a high foreclosure rate, or with a low inventory of office space. Discuss how your location might provide a steady stream of customers.

Promotions : Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Advertising in local papers and magazines
• Reaching out to local bloggers and websites
• Social media advertising
• Local radio advertising
• Banner ads at local venues

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your real estate investment business such as finding properties to acquire, marketing completed properties, overseeing renovations, etc.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to flip your 25th house, or when you hope to reach $X in sales. It could also be when you expect to hire your Xth employee or launch in a new market.

While the earlier sections of your real estate business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement

An income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets

While balance sheets include much information, to simplify them to the key items you need to know about, balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. For instance, if you spend $100,000 on building out your real estate investment business, that will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $100.000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement

Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt. For example, let’s say you signed a commercial tenant that needs an extensive build out, that would cost you $50,000 to complete. Well, in most cases, you would have to pay that $50,000 now for materials, equipment rentals, employee salaries, etc. But rent will not cover build-out costs for 180 days. During that 180 day period, you could run out of money.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a real estate investment business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Renovation costs
• Cost of depreciation
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Property management software
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your store design blueprint or location lease.

Free Business Plan Template for Real Estate Investors

You can download our real estate investment business plan PDF template here.

Real Estate Investment Business Plan Summary

Putting together a business plan for your real estate investment company will improve your company’s chances of success. The process of developing your plan will help you better understand the real estate investment market, your competition, and your customers. You will also gain a marketing plan to better attract and serve customers, an operations plan to focus your efforts, and financial projections that give you goals to strive for and keep your company focused.

Growthink’s Ultimate Real Estate Business Plan Template is the quickest and easiest way to complete a business plan for your real estate investing business.  

Additional Resources For Starting a Real Estate Investment Business

• How To Find Investment Opportunities
• Estimating Rehab Costs for Real Estate Investors
• How To Become a Real Estate Investor
• How To Start a Real Estate Investment Business
• Real Estate Investor Marketing Strategies

Don’t you wish there was a faster, easier way to finish your Real Estate Investment business plan?

OR, Let Us Develop Your Plan For You

Since 1999, Growthink has developed business plans for thousands of companies who have gone on to achieve tremendous success.   Click here to see how Growthink’s business plan consulting services can create your business plan for you.

Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How to Write a Real Estate Investment Business Plan: Complete Guide

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Last updated on July 17, 2024

Building an investing business without a real estate investment business plan is sort of like riding a bike without handlebars. 

You might be able to do it… but why would you? 

It’s far easier and more practical to set out on your venture with a business plan that outlines things like your lead-flow, where you’ll find funding, and which market(s) you’ll operate. 

Plus, according to Entrepreneur, having a business plan increases your chances of growth by 30%. 

Download Now: Free marketing plan video and a downloadable guide

So don’t skip this critical first step. 

Here’s how to do it. 

Real Estate Investment Business Plan Guide

In this article we’re going to discuss:

• What is a real estate investment business plan?
• Create your mission and vision
• Run market analysis
• Choose your business model(s)
• Determine your business goals
• Find funding / Cash buyers
• Identify lead-flow source
• Gather property analysis information
• Create your brand
• Set growth milestones
• Plan to Delegate

What is a Real Estate Investment Business Plan and Why Does it Matter?

A real estate investment business plan is a document that outlines your goals, your vision, and your plan for growing the business . 

It should detail the real estate business model you’re going to pursue, your chosen method for lead-gen, how you’ll find funding, and how you plan to close deals. 

The kit and caboodle. 

It shouldn’t be overly complicated. 

Whether this real estate investment business plan is only for your personal use or to present to someone else, simplicity is best. Be thorough, be clear, but don’t over-explain what you’re going to do. 

As far as why you should have a business plan, consider that it gives you a 30% better chance of growing your business. 

Also, consider that setting out  without  a plan would be like — full of unexpected twists and turns — is that something you want to do? 

Probably not. 

It’s worth taking a few days or weeks to put together a business plan, even if it’s just for your own sake. By the time you’re complete, you’ll have greater confidence in the business you’re setting out to build. 

And an entrepreneur’s confidence is everything. 

How to Create Your Real Estate Investment Business Plan

Now we get into the nitty-gritty. 

How do you create your real estate investment business plan? Here are the 10 steps!

1. Create Your Mission & Vision

This can be considered your “summary” section. You might not think that you need a mission statement or vision for your real estate business. 

And you don’t. 

We know a lot of real estate investors (many of our members, in fact) don’t have a clear mission or vision that they’ve outlined — and they’re successful regardless. 

But if you’re just getting started…

Then we think it’s a worthwhile use of your time. 

Because if you don’t know why you’re going to build your real estate investing business, if you don’t see what purpose it serves on a personal and professional level, then it’s not going to be very exciting to you. 

You can either use this time to create a mission for your business… or a mission statement for you as it relates to growing your business (depending on your goals).

For instance…

• Our mission is to create affordable house opportunities in the Roseburg, Oregon community. 
• Our mission is to provide homeowners with an exceptional experience when selling their properties for cash. 

Or you could go a more personal route…

• My mission is to create a business that supports my family. 
• My mission is to build a company that gives me more time for what matters most to me.

Or you could do both…

• My mission is to create a business that supports my family, and my business’ mission is to provide homeowners with an exceptional experience when selling their properties for cash. 

Either way, it’s good to think about this before getting started. 

Because if you know why you’re going to build your business — and if, ideally, that reason resonates with you — then you’ll be more excited and determined to work hard toward your goals. 

It is also an excellent opportunity to outline the core values you’ll adhere to within your business as Brian Rockwell does on his website …

With this information in hand, you’re ready to move on to the next step. 

2. Run Competitive Market Analysis

Which market are you going to operate in? 

That might be an easy question to answer — if you’re just going to operate in the town where you live, fair enough. 

But it’s worth keeping in mind that today’s technology has made it possible to become a real estate investor in any market from pretty much any location (remotely). 

So if the market you’re in is lacking in opportunity, then you might consider investing elsewhere. 

How do you know which market to choose? 

Here are the 10 top real estate markets for investors, according to our own Carrot member data of over 7000 accounts, based on lead volume…

• Atlanta, GA
• Houston, TX
• Chicago, IL
• Charlotte, NC
• New York, NY
• Los Angeles, CA
• Orlando, FL
• Philadelphia, PA
• Phoenix, AZ

And here are the top 20 states…

• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• Oregon 

That’ll give you some ideas. 

But what makes a market good or bad for real estate investors? Here are some metrics to pay attention to when you’re doing your research. 

• Median Home Value — This will tell you how much the average home sells for in the market, which will impact whether you’ll be willing to operate there. Because obviously, you want to play with numbers that feel reasonable to you. 
• Median Home Value Increase Year Over Year — Ideally, you want to invest in a market where homes are appreciating every year. And a positive increase in this metric is a good sign that the properties you invest in will continue to increase in value. 
• Occupied Housing Rate — A high housing occupancy rate means it’s easy to find tenants, and there’s a healthy demand for housing. That’s a good sign. 
• Median Rent — This is the average cost of rent in the market and will give you a good idea of how much you’ll be able to charge on any rentals you own. 
• Median Rent Increase Year Over Year — If you’re going to buy rentals, it’s a good sign if rental costs increase every year.
• Population Growth — When the population grows, it creates demand for housing, both rentals and on the MLS. That’s a good sign for a real estate investor. 
• Job Growth — Job growth is a sign of a healthy economy and indicates that you’ll have an easier time capitalizing on your real estate investments. 

Fortunately, all of this research is super easy to do on Google. 

You can just type in the market and the metric in Google and you’ll get meaningful results. 

Thank god for technology. 

Want more freedom & impact?

From Mindset to Marketing, join our CEO as he unlocks the best stories, tactics, and strategies from America’s top investors and agents on the CarrotCast . If you want to grow your business, you need to check it out!

3. Choose Your Business Model(s)

There’s not just one real estate business model . 

There are many. 

And the market you’re in — as well as your business goals — will determine which business model you choose. 

Here’s a brief overview of each…

• Wholesaling — Is a prevalent business model in the real estate world. Wholesalers find deals and flip them to other cash buyers for an assignment fee, typically somewhere between $5,000 to $10,000. It’s low risk and requires little capital upfront (you can get started with as little as $2,000). 
• Wholetailing — Wholetailing is a mix between wholesaling and house flipping. A wholetailer will find a deal, do some very minor repairs (if any), and sell the house on the MLS themselves. It results in large profits with far less work. But wholetail deals are hard to come by. 
• BRRRR — This stands for Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. It’s a long-term process for buying and holding rental properties. It’s a great way to build net worth and create generational wealth. 
• Flipping — House flipping is the most popularized real estate investing method. It consists of purchasing distressed properties, fixing them up, and selling them at a good profit on the MLS, often making upwards of $100,000 per deal. However, this method involves much more risk than the other methods and each deal takes a lot longer to complete. 

If you’re just getting started, then we recommend choosing just one business model and doing that until you’ve mastered it. 

Down the road, you will likely want to use multiple business models. 

We know the most successful real estate investors are wholesalers, wholesalers, flippers,  and  they own some rental properties. 

That allows them to make the most of every opportunity that comes their way. 

But again… to start, just choose one. 

4. Determine Your Business Goals

At this point, you should have a pretty clear idea of why you’re going to build your real estate investing business. 

Are you going to build it because you want to make an impact in your community? Because you want more financial freedom? Because you want more time freedom? 

All of the above? 

Whatever the case, now it’s time to set some goals related to your mission for the business. 

Remember the SMART acronym for goal setting…

Start by thinking about how much money you’d like to make per month — this should be the first income threshold that you’re excited to hit.

Let’s pretend you said $10,000 per month. 

Okay, now take a look at your business model. How many properties do you need to have cash-flowing to hit that number? How many deals do you have to do per month? How many flips? 

Try to be as realistic with your numbers as possible. 

Here are some baselines to consider for the different business models at the $10k/month threshold…

• Wholesaling – 2-3 Deals Per Month
• Wholetailing – 2-3 Deals Per Month
• BRRRR – $1 Million in Assets
• Flipping – 1-2 Flips Per Year

Now you have a general idea of the results you’ll need to hit your first income threshold. 

But we haven’t talked about overhead costs. 

How much will you need to spend to get those results? 

Your answer to that question will be influenced by the market analysis you already did. But it’s pretty standard for the price of finding a deal to hover around $2,000 for a real estate investor (if you’re doing your own advertising). 

So now you’re spending $2,000 per deal, or whatever your specific number is. That’s going to have an impact on how much money you’re making. So now we can adjust your goals to be more realistic for hitting that $10k per month marker…

• Wholesaling – 4-5 Deals Per Month
• Wholetailing – 4-5 Deals Per Month
• BRRRR – $1.5 Million in Assets
• Flipping – 2-3 Flips Per Year

The idea here is to figure out how many deals you’ll have to do per month to hit your income goals. 

Then work that back into figuring out how much you’ll need to spend every month to realistically and predictably hit your goals. 

At $2k per deal and intending to hit $10k/month, here’s what your deal-finding costs might look like…

• Wholesaling – 4-5 Deals Per Month – $8k-$10k/month
• Wholetailing – 4-5 Deals Per Month – $8k-$10k/month
• BRRRR – $1.5 Million in Assets – $6k-$8k/month
• Flipping – 2-3 Flips Per Year – $4k-$6k/month

That should give you a baseline. 

How do those numbers look? 

If they feel too high for you right now, lower your initial goal — you want to make your first goal something that you know you can accomplish. 

Then, as you gain experience, you can increase your goals and make more money down the road. 

Free Real Estate Marketing Plan Template

Take our short survey to find out where you struggle most with your online marketing strategy. Generate your free marketing plan video and downloadable guide to increase lead generation and conversion, gain momentum, and stand out in your market:

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5. Find Funding / Cash Buyers

Are you going to fund your own deals or find private investors ? Or maybe you’re going to get a business loan from a bank? 

If you’re just starting as a wholesaler or wholetailer, then it’s recommended funding your own first few deals — that should only cost $2,000 to $5,000… and why overcomplicate things in the beginning when you’re still trying to learn the ropes? 

However, as a wholesaler or wholetailer, you’ll still need to find some cash buyers. 

Here’s a great video that’ll teach you how to do that…

To consistently grow your cash buyer list (which is an important part of the wholesaling and wholestailing business model), we also recommend creating a buyer website like this…

Learn more about creating your cash buyer website with Carrot over here . 

To scale, you might seek out other sources of funding. 

Here are some options…

• Bank Loan — Getting a loan from a bank might be the most straightforward strategy if you’re just getting started. But keep in mind that the requirements for a loan on an investment property will be more stringent than the requirements were for your primary residence mortgage. And the interest rate will likely be higher as well. For that reason, you might seek out some of the other options. 
• Hard Money — Hard money loans come from companies that specifically serve real estate investors. They are easier and faster to secure than a bank loan and hard money lenders typically base their approval of the loan on the quality of the investment property rather than the investor’s financial standing. 
• Private Money — Whereas a hard money loan comes from a company; a private money loan comes from an individual with a good chunk of capital they’re looking to invest. That could be a friend, family member, coworker, and acquaintance. Interest rates and terms on these loans are typically very flexible and the interest rate is usually quite good. Private money is an excellent option for real estate investors looking to scale their business. 

But before you seek out funding from those sources, get clear on what exactly you’re going to use those funds for. 

Finding funding is even more critical. In fact — if you’re flipping properties or using the BRRRR method. 

(It’s a key part of the BRRRR method)

You’ll likely want to use hard money or private money to fund your deals as you grow your business.

But how do you find and secure those loans? 

Hard money lenders are easy to find — just Google for hard money lenders in your area and call the companies that pop up to get more details. 

Private money (which usually has more favorable terms than hard money) is a bit trickier to find but not at all impossible. 

To find private money lenders, you can…

• Tell Friends & Family — This should be the first thing you do. Tell everyone you can about the business you’re building and the returns you can offer investors. Then ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in investing. 
• Network — After you’ve exhausted all your friends and family, make a point of getting to know people everywhere you go. The easiest way to do this is to wear branded clothing so people ask about what you do. Talk to people at coffee shops, grocery stores, movie theaters, and anywhere else that you frequent. You never know who you might meet. 
• Attend Foreclosure Auctions — Foreclosure auctions are jam-packed with people who have cash-on-hand to buy properties. These people might also be interested in investing in your real estate endeavors. Or they might know where to find private money. Either way, it’s in your interest to build relationships with these people. Attend foreclosure auctions and bring some business cards. 

Here are some tips on finding private money lenders…

6. Identify Lead-Flow Source

Now let’s talk about how you will generate a consistent flow of motivated leads for your business. 

Because no matter which of the business models you’ve chosen… you’re going to need to find motivated sellers.

And you’re going to need to find those people every single month. 

There are essentially two parts to a successful lead generation strategy for real estate investing business. 

Both pieces are critical… 

• The Short Term — We call this “hamster-wheel marketing” because it requires you to  keep working  and  spending money  to generate leads. Examples include Facebook ads, direct mail, bandit signs, cold calling, driving for dollars, and other tit-for-tat strategies that will burn you out if you’re not careful.
• The Long Term — We call this “evergreen marketing” because it requires an upfront investment… but that investment pays off for years and years to come. Examples include increasing brand awareness for your business in your target market(s) and improving your website’s SEO , so that motivated sellers find you . 

Short-term tactics are critical when you’re first starting — in fact, they are likely going to be your only source of leads for at least the first few months. 

Here are some more details on the most popular and effective methods… 

• Tax default mailing lists
• Vacant house lists
• Expired listing lists
• Pre-foreclosure lists
• Out-of-state landlord lists
• Cold Calling — This might be more uncomfortable than stubbing your toe on a piece of furniture, but it can still be effective for finding motivated sellers. We have an article all about colding calling — it even has scripts for you to use. 
• Facebook Ads — Facebook ads is another excellent method for generating leads so long as you have a high-converting website to send them to . If you don’t, get yourself a Carrot website . Each Carrot site is built to convert. Here are some more details about running successful ads on Facebook for your real estate investing business.
• Google Ads — Google Ads is one of the most popular platforms for real estate professionals needing to provide quick results with a minimal to high investment depending on markets.

But over time, the goal is to invest in more long-term evergreen marketing tactics so that you can get off the hamster wheel and build a more sustainable business. 

Check out the video below to learn more about the critical distinction between short-term and long-term marketing. 

At Carrot, we’ve created an online marketing system that makes generating leads super easy and simple for real estate investors. 

And it’s 100% evergreen. 

Here’s an example of one of our members’ websites that converts like crazy…

Try our free Marketing Plan Generator here.

7. Gather Property Analysis Information

We just talked about how you can generate leads.

But once someone calls you, once you’re checking out a property… How will you  know  if the property is a good fit for your chosen business model? 

After all, not every property will be a fit. 

First, ask the following questions when the seller calls…

• What is the address of the house you want to sell?
• How many bedrooms, bathrooms does it have?
• Does it have a garage, basement, or pool?
• If you were going to list it with a Realtor, what repairs and/or updating would you say would be needed?
• How much is owed on the house?
• Do you have an asking price in mind?
• Is the house behind on payments?
• If I come out and look at the property and make you a cash offer to buy it ‘As-Is’ and close as soon as you want, what would be the least you would be willing to take?

That will provide you with a lot of critical information about what you’re dealing with. 

Next, once you’re off the phone, do a bit of due diligence and look at what nearby properties of similar size have sold for in the last 90 days or so — that should give you a ballpark idea for the after-repair value of the property. 

If you decide that the property sounds promising, you’ll want to walk through it and take pictures of anything and everything that’ll need to be repaired. 

Back at the office, estimate the cost of those repairs — here’s a great resource from REISift that’ll help you estimate rehab costs . 

You’ll need to go through this entire process regardless of your business model so that you understand your max offer on the property. 

So how do you calculate your max offer? 

Use the 75% rule — check out this video from Ryan Dossey…

With that, you’ll know how much to pay for the property, how much to spend on repairs, and how much it’ll sell for. 

The more you streamline this part of the process, the better. 

8. Create Your Brand

Building a company is one thing. 

Building an easily recognizable brand and known to be reputable in your marketplace is quite another.

But that’s an integral part of the process. Consider some of these statistics…

• Using a signature color can increase brand recognition by 80 percent.
• It takes about 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for people to form an opinion about your website.
• Consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33 percent.
• 66 percent of consumers think transparency is one of the most attractive qualities in a brand.

When it comes to building a real estate investing brand, your goals are to…

• Establish Rapport 
• Create Easy Recognizability
• Dominate The Conversation

The first step in this process is building an online presence – that means creating a high-converting website (i.e., one that systematically turns visitors into leads by capturing their contact information), running advertisements, and ranking in Google for important keywords. 

That’s what we can help you with at Carrot . 

Out of the box, our website templates are built to convert visitors into leads – and you can customize them however you want with your branding materials…

You’ll even receive immediate text notifications when someone signs up to be a lead so that you can contact them right away (speed is the name of the game!). 

Having a high-converting website is ground zero for brand-building success. If you don’t have a website that systematically converts visitors into leads, then every dollar you spend on advertising is going to be wasted. 

So that’s where we start. 

Once you’ve got your website up and running, then – if you’re a Carrot Member and subscribe to the Content Tools add-on – we’ll provide you with blog posts every single month that are written to rank in Google for high-value keywords relevant to your specific market …

You just upload, make some minor tweaks, and publish – and the more you publish, the more traffic you’ll drive. 

To help you become a true authority in your market, we also have the following tools…

• Keyword Ranking Tracker
• SEO Tool For Optimizing All Pages
• Text Notifications For Leads
• World-Class Support
• Campaign Tracking Links
• Coaching Calls

We want to make generating leads as easy as possible for you… so you can focus on closing deals and growing your business. 

You can try us here risk-free for 30 days. 

If you get yourself a Carrot website, that’ll take care of the “Dominate The Conversation” part of the branding process.

But what about these parts? 

Super easy. 

Establishing rapport is simply a matter of putting testimonials and case studies on your website. The more of these you have, the more people will trust your brand when they arrive on your website for the first time. 

As for creating an easily recognizable brand, create a simple branding package…

• Brand Colors

And then be consistent across all platforms. Use the same colors, font, logo, and brand name on everything – online and offline. 

That’ll make it feel like you’re everywhere – which is what you want. 

So there you go. 

That’s how you create a brand identity as a real estate investor. You’ll know you’ve done it right if people are coming to you out of nowhere – because a friend of a friend told them about you. 

And if you want a brand that dominates your market without all of the footwork, we’ve got just the thing – it’s called the Authority Leader Plan … and we’ll do everything for you. 

9. Set Growth Milestones

Okay – let’s pretend that you’ve taken all of the steps above. 

You’ve got yourself a functioning business and brand with funding, you’ve got consistent lead-flow, and you’re even closing some deals. 

Now what? 

Well… you want to grow, of course!

You don’t just want to do one deal per month… you want to do three, five, or even ten deals per month.

You want to make more money, increase your net worth, grow your business, and have a significant impact. 

How do you do that? 

First, you set new goals and milestones for your business’ growth – how many deals do you want to be doing per month in 6 months? In a year? 

Then break those goals down by quarter – and turn them into actionable to-dos. 

For example, if you’re currently doing one deal per month and you want to be doing five deals per month by the end of Q2, here’s what your goals might look like…

• Send 10,000 Mailers Per Month
• Spend $5,000 on Facebook Ads Per Month
• Hire Salesperson To Answer Phone
• Hire Acquisition Manager
• Create Workflow Process

Or maybe it’ll look a bit different. Make your to-dos as realistic as possible so that if you do those things … you’re virtually guaranteed to hit your goals. 

After all, what’s the point of having goals if you’re not going to hit them? 

All in all…

Set milestone goals to grow your business, turn those into to-dos and break them down by quarter. The next and final step of your real estate investment business plan might be even more important… 

10. Plan To Delegate

At some point, every real estate investor has to come to terms with a straightforward fact…

You can’t build the business of your dreams on your own . You need to delegate .

You’ve got to partner with other people, build critical relationships, hire people, manage people, create systems and processes to streamline your team’s workflow, and lots more. 

One of the most important areas that deserve a highlight is your client communications and satisfaction. Consider setting up a robust cloud contact center software to manage all the communications that will lead to long-term partnerships.

Building a business isn’t so much about hustling and bustling as it is about putting the right pieces in the right place. 

How do you scale your business? 

The answer is quite simple: you do the same things you’re doing now… but at scale – that means hiring people, training people, and creating clean-cut systems. 

That’s how you grow your business. 

Automate, delegate, and step outside of your business as much as possible to build a real estate investment company that serves you rather than enslaves you. 

Final Thoughts on Real Estate Investment Business Plan

What more is there? 

You know how to create a mission and vision statement, run market analysis, choose an REI business model, set goals, find funding, generate leads, analyze properties, create a brand, set long-term growth milestones, and delegate. 

All that’s left is action. 

And reach out anytime with questions – we’re always here to help!

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Justin Dossey

How to write your real estate investing business plan: the ultimate guide.

• February 8, 2023
• , Business Advice , How to , Real Estate Investing Tips

Want to create a real estate investing business plan?

Well, you could just launch your business.

You could go door-knocking for the next week, maybe even find a property to buy, buy it, and then try to flip it or rent it out. Then you could do that over and over again.

Heck — maybe you’d even build a healthy business out of it.

Buuuuut, maybe not.

If you’re anything like me, then you favor planning over mindless execution (sorry Gary Vee). You don’t want to just launch a business that may or may not succeed, you want a real estate investing business plan . You want to give your business the best possible chance of success.

For that, you need to spend a little time thinking about the details of how your business will function.

Let me prove it to you…

Why do you need a real estate investing business plan?

I could talk your ear off about why people who make a plan for their real estate investing business will succeed. Or I could tell you about the people I’ve personally  seen set out without a plan and fail. Or I could tell you a story about one person who had the best of intentions for his new real estate investing business, but lost money his first month because he didn’t have a clearly defined budget.

But I won’t…

I’ll  show you.

Research from 2,877 business owners revealed that people with a plan are more likely to grow their business, secure investment capital, and/or secure a loan.

( Image Source )

Here’s how the authors of the study put it:

“Except in a small number of cases, business planning appeared to be positively correlated with business success as measured by our variables. While our analysis cannot say that completing a business plan will lead to success, it does indicate that the type of entrepreneur who completes a business plan is also more likely to run a successful business.”

So whether you want to give your business a better chance at succeeding down the road, or simply  become the kind of person who will likely grow a successful business, drafting a plan is in your best interest.

And it doesn’t have to be remarkably complicated.

12 Steps To Create Your Real Estate Investing Business Plan

Here are 12 steps to get you moving.

Step 1. Create your vision and mission

It might seem like a silly first step to creating your real estate investing business plan.

Because let’s be honest: you’re setting out to make money, achieve financial freedom, and live on your own terms. You’re not setting out to save the world from some big injustice (probably — props if you  are ) or change other people’s lives for the better.

You want to build a business that will benefit  you .

Still, a mission and vision statement can help define  how you’re going to build that business, why you’re building it, and who your business is going to serve. Because even though you’re building a business to benefit you in the end, the only way to build a successful business is by helping  others .

As Bob Burg wrote, “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.”

Here’s an example of a mission and vision statement.

Just like you personally have a “why?” to your existence, your business needs a “why?” to its existence. Your mission and vision statement will help you determine what that “why?” is and how your business is going to make you money by helping others.

Step 2. Determine your end goal

You also must connect your own personal goals to the goals of your business — you’re the one who’ll be building it, after all. Your business will live or die based on your own daily motivation, ambition, and energy levels.

For that reason, you should ask yourself this dead-simple question: “Why am I building this business? What is my end goal?”

Do you want to be a millionaire? Do you want to live on the beach in Tahiti and sip gin for the rest of your life while this business makes you money on autopilot? Do you want to be the CEO of a large corporation? Do you want to make $200k per year and work 10 hours per week?

What you want out of your business will determine the kind of business you build. And the more attractive your end goal is, the more determined you will be to keep going when things get tough. I love the way that Tim Ferriss puts it: “The question you should be asking yourself isn’t, ‘What do I want?’ or ‘What are my goals?’ but ‘What would excite me?'” Because the more excited you are, the more determined you’ll be.

Step 3. Do market research using a SWOT analysis

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, and Threats.

And determining those four things for your own business  before you launch is vital. Ask yourself…

• Strengths: What are competitors already doing well in my market that I likely won’t be able to compete with?
• Weaknesses: What are competitors in my market  not doing well?
• Opportunity: What opportunity in my market are most competitors not leveraging and might I be able to exploit that?
• Threats: What will be the big threats to my business and how can I prepare for these?

Here’s a more thorough graphical breakdown of SWOT to help you perform your market analysis.

Step 4. Choose a real estate investing business model

After you’ve performed your SWOT analysis, you should be ready to determine the  type  of real estate investing that will be most lucrative for your market. Try not to let funding make the decision for you (i.e. I don’t have much capital, so I guess I’m going to wholesale), because the reality is that there’s  always a way to get money to build your business — the important thing is that you’ve chosen a type of real estate investing which is likely to succeed given current market conditions.

Here are the most common real estate investing business models:

• Wholesaling   — This is when you find good deals and flip those deals to cash buyers for an assignment fee. You can usually make $5,000 to $25,000 per deal and it doesn’t require any money down.
• Wholetailing   — Wholetailing is similar to wholesaling except that you purchase a home for a good deal, do very little work to it, and then sell it on the MLS. This can be a very profitable business model, but it’ll require access to more funds than wholesaling .
• Flipping  — House flipping is when you purchase a distressed home, fix it up, and sell for a profit on the MLS. This is a high-risk, high-return strategy.
• Buy-and-hold  — Buy-and-hold investing is when you purchase properties and rent them out to create passive income. The goal is usually to do this with a lot of properties to increase net worth and build long-term wealth.

Step 5. Determine where funding will come from

If you’ve determined that the most profitable type of real estate investing for your market will take some serious capital, don’t worry: there are  tons of different ways to find money for building your business. Lots of people with big money just want their money to work for them and provide a healthy ROI.

Ryan Dossey (my brother) has this great video about raising private money for your business and how he raised his first $100k.

Step 6. Choose your marketing strategies

In many ways, this is where the rubber hits the road for your business: how will you find deals in your market? How will you find motivated sellers ? How will you convince those sellers to work with you? How will you find buyers to purchase those properties or tenants to live in them? How will you fix up properties if you’re planning to fix and flip ?

These are all questions you need to answer on your real estate investing business plan.

And if you’re at a loss for answering them, sitting down with another real estate investor in your market and asking them questions can go a long way.

However you do it, write down your marketing plan of attack — how you plan to find and close deals — what you’ll need to make per deal to remain profitable, and how much you should expect each deal will cost you.

Here are a few common marketing strategies that you might consider.

• Direct mail (check out Ballpoint Marketing if you want to send hand-written mailers en masse).
• Bandit signs
• Door knocking
• Facebook ads
• Search engine optimization
• Cold calling

Here are some more specific suggestions to consider…

1. Send personalized mailers every single week

There is a rhythm to the flow of potential deals in any market.

A market might have a lot of deals during a particular season, and fewer deals just a couple of months down the road. These fluctuations are normal. And where there’s inconsistency in the market, the investor must remain steadfast.

This is as true in the stock market as it is in the real estate market.

Don’t gamble all of your marketing budgets on a single season. Instead, get in the habit of sending the same amount of mailers every single week — whatever is a reasonable number for your business. Send those mailers to different lists and recycle lists every few months or so.

To get the best performance possible, we recommend using mailers from our sister company,  Ballpoint Marketing , where you can get hand-written letters at an affordable cost.

2. Run effective Facebook Ads & do some SEO

Facebook ads and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) are two of the best ways to market your real estate investing business.

The first can provide you with leads quickly and the second can create longevity for your business.

To create effective Facebook ads, just go look at what your top competitors are doing. Go to their Facebook Page, click on “Page Transparency”, and you can see all of the ads that they’re running.

Examine a few of your competitor’s ads and take notes on what their sales copy and images are like. Then contemplate how you might try to do something similar.

Don’t copy them verbatim, of course, but why not try something similar to what they’re doing?

If it’s working for them, it’ll probably work for you as well!

As for SEO, get in the habit of publishing blog posts on your website that target specific keyword phrases. You can use  Ubersuggest  to find high-value keyword phrases. And here’s a  helpful article  that shows you how to optimize your pages to rank in Google.

3. Hire someone to answer the phone for you

If you follow our previous advice of sending personalized mailers every week, running effective Facebook ads, and spending a little time on SEO , the good news is that you’re going to start generating quite a few leads…  predictably .

The bad news is that your phone is going to start ringing like crazy.

The more mailers you send and Facebook ads you run, the more the phone is going to ring.

And while all of those leads are exciting, they can quickly distract you from working on important business-growth tasks like polishing processes, creating systems, and hiring employees.

That’s why more than 100 U.S. investors use our expert-trained reps to answer the phone for them. We answer the phone  when it rings , we know how to talk to motivated sellers , we’ll ask the right questions, and we’ll even schedule a follow-up appointment with you or your Acquisitions Manager.

Sound cool?

Then get a free, no-obligation demo by clicking here!

Step 7. Create a plan for consistently networking with other professionals

When you’re just starting out, no business-building strategy is quite as effective as networking with other real estate professionals within your market. There’s something about those face-to-face connections which can benefit your business for a lifetime.

You might learn a thing or two from other friendly professionals in your market. Or maybe you’ll end up partnering up with them. Or maybe you’ll learn how better to  compete with them.

Whatever the case, networking can help build your business. And you should map out a game plan for consistently networking with other professionals — even if it’s something as simple as going to a monthly meetup or working from different coffee shops every day.

Step 8. Create a plan for delegating down the road

You’re building a business,  not a prison cell. This means that you’ll need to make a plan for delegating tasks to other people down the road.

In the beginning, you’ll likely be the horse, driver,  and carriage — that is, you’ll be doing pretty much everything.

But don’t make that time-intensive phase of business last longer than it needs to. You’ll be surprised at how much faster your business will grow (with less work) when you hire A-players, treat them well, and trust them to do their job.

You won’t have to work as many hours, your business will grow more quickly, and you’ll make more money. So make a plan for which tasks you’d like to delegate when the time comes and which ones you’d like to keep (the ones that you enjoy the most, ideally).

And if you imagine that answering the phone every time it rings is a task you’ll want to delegate, Call Porter can help. We’ve built the only call center designed for real estate investors. Our reps are trained specifically to talk with motivated sellers, convert them, and then schedule a follow-up call with you or your acquisitions manager. You can try us out for yourself over here . 🙂

Step 9. Find your exit strategy

Every good real estate investing business plan includes a thorough plan of attack…  and an exit strategy if things go terribly wrong.

Since you have a business plan, your chances of things going horribly wrong decrease quite significantly. Still, it’s good to have a plan B or a way out if things go sideways. Maybe wait to quit your day job, for instance, until your business starts providing for itself. Choose your investors and/or tenants carefully. And consider including a clause in your contracts that gives you a way out (at least in the beginning).

Step 10. Create your growth plan

Have you ever heard the 80/20 rule?

It’s my fav 🙂

Essentially, it states that 20% of the work produces 80% of the results (and vice versa).

While it’s easy to feel that you must do everything right as an entrepreneur in order to succeed… that’s simply not true. You only have to do some key things right .

In terms of real estate investing, you have to acquire properties, you have to make profitable decisions with those properties, and you have to do that consistently.

That’s it — that’s the formula.

In terms of actual to-dos, here are three things that — if you do them consistently — will virtually guarantee that your business keeps growing.

1. Send mail & run paid ads

To generate leads and close deals, you have to market your business.

That means sending mail and running paid ads  every single month .

Keep in mind: all marketing strategies (especially direct mail ) experience a sort of lag-time. You might send 500 mailers this month and not get very many phone calls, assuming that your mailers were ineffective.

Then you stop and try something else.

Suddenly, you start getting phone calls because of those mailers that you sent a month ago.

This lag-time isn’t bad… but you need to  expect it and  prepare for it … which basically means marketing your business consistently, even when your efforts seem to be less effective than usual.

Pro-Tip:  Want to stand out with your direct mailers? Check out our sister company, Ballpoint Marketing , which produces hand-written mailers (with real ink ) that add a personal touch your competitors won’t be able to match!

2. Answer the phone & follow-up

Yes, Call Porter is an answering service built specifically for real estate investors.

Yes, there’s going to be a pitch at the end of this section.

And yet, it’s still difficult to overstate the importance of answering the phone  when it rings .

Research shows that your chance of having a meaningful conversation with a prospect decreases with every passing moment after a phone call goes unanswered.

Problem is, if your business is thriving and you do manage to answer the phone every time it rings… then you’re probably limiting your business’ full potential (because you’re not spending that time on mission-critical, “quadrant 2” activities).

You want the phone to ring off the hook… but you don’t want to be the one responsible for answering it. 

The solution?

(Pitch incoming)

At Call Porter, we’ve trained all of our U.S.-based reps to speak with motivated sellers. They know what questions to ask, how to stay level-headed, and they’ll schedule a follow-up call with you or your acquisitions manager.

Check out the call below to see for yourself (this lead resulted in a $36,000 profit for the investor!).

The phone needs to get answered… but certainly not by the founder of your business (YOU) 😉

Oh — and don’t forget to follow up! 90% of deals happen during a rigorous follow-up regimen, not during the initial call .

(We recommend following up  at least 15 times).

Get a FREE Call Porter Demo Today!!

3. build processes & reinvest into your business.

If you do the first two things, you’re going to generate leads and get the phone ringing like crazy.

You’re also going to start closing quite a few deals.

But there’s still one problem left to solve:  you will quickly become a bottleneck.

Having Call Porter answer the phone is certainly a step in the right direction… but the more you want to grow, the more you’ll have to delegate and automate the daily operations of your business.

This means hiring someone to answer emails, create marketing campaigns, speak with sellers, collect buyer information, and even acquire profitable properties.

Step 11. Create a memorable brand

Good business is built on trust.

Without the trust of your prospects and your clients, positive word-of-mouth won’t spread and people will hesitate to work with you.

But in the same way that that hesitation creates an obstacle for your business, building knee-jerk trust in your market creates a doorway.

The question is… how do you build a memorable reputation in your market so that past clients know you’re the real deal, prospects trust you to treat them right, and people who’ve never worked with you respect your business?

Well, the primary answer is consistency — day-in and day-out, treating your customers right, sharing case studies, engaging in charity, and whatever else will enhance your brand image.

In fact, here are three things to consider doing more consistently in order to build memorable trust in your market.

1. Choose a charity

Donating to charity doesn’t just help you forge a more meaningful mission for your business, it can  also help you market your business.

For example, you can celebrate your donations publicly and host events to raise money for local charities. These efforts build brand awareness  and trust at the same time.

There’s just something about a highly philanthropic business that feels trustworthy.

(That’s probably why customers are 85% more likely to buy products from a company that is associate with a charity).

Choose a charity that’s in line with your business’s mission, and then get in the habit of donating. Over time, you’ll build trust with people in your market and prove that you care about more than just making money.

2. Care about your clients

This might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but I know how hard it can be to authentically care for your clients when you’re  doing the same thing every day .

It’s easy to become callused.

Still, showing your prospects (even the tire-kickers) and your clients (even the ones who don’t accept your offer) that you genuinely care about them is one of the best ways to increase how many referrals you get and how much word-of-mouth you generate.

This is a simple trick, but perhaps the most difficult.

Be kind to everyone. Care about the people you work with. And be generous in how you serve others.

Do that for long enough and people won’t be able to ignore your business’ impact on the community.

Just think of the businesses that you most admire… how do they treat people? What are their values? And how can your business emulate their attitude toward leads, prospects, and clients?

3. Collect case studies

People might love you and respect you, but how do they know that your business   works ? That is, how do they know it can actually benefit them?

To some degree, trusting you is different than believing in the helpfulness or effectiveness of your service.

The best way to prove to your community that your business is the “real deal” — that what you’re doing can actually help people who are trying to sell their home — is by sharing testimonials and case studies from past clients.

This includes publishing case study content on your website, sharing reviews on your social media profiles, and telling stories of people who you’ve helped in the past.

Don’t undervalue the impact of telling stories to build your business’ reputation.

It’s  extremely powerful .

Step 12. Build your timeline

The final step is to determine when you want everything to happen. When do you want/expect to hit your real estate goals ? When do you expect to start hiring people? When do you expect your business will be able to fully support you and your family?

These timelines need not be written in stone, though — no one can accurately predict how long it’ll take you to build a successful business (the most important thing is consistent progress ). But having a timeline that you can reference and which keeps you heading in the right direction is wildly valuable, especially if you post it on your wall, where you can see it every day.

Final Thoughts

So you know you need a real estate investing business plan. You know that having a plan will give your business a better chance of success and turn you into the kind of forward-thinking entrepreneur that succeeds.

But you don’t only know that you need it, you also now know how to create it.

With the above 12 steps, you can draft a real estate investing business plan which increases your statistical chance of success.

And while you  could just launch your business without a plan, why would you? It’s a far better idea to spend some time thinking about the details of how your business will succeed  in order to succeed than it is to launch quickly and fail quicker.

So get to it — and don’t press the big red button until you’ve drafted a business plan which you’re confident will succeed.

Read more from Call Porter

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Blog Business 5 Real Estate Business Plan Examples & How to Create One?

5 Real Estate Business Plan Examples & How to Create One?

Written by: Danesh Ramuthi Nov 28, 2023

Crafting a business plan is essential for any business and the real estate sector is no exception. In real estate, a comprehensive business plan serves as a roadmap, delineating a clear path towards business growth. 

It guides owners, agents and brokers through various critical aspects such as identifying target markets, devising effective marketing strategies, planning finances and managing client relationships.

For real estate businesses, a well-written plan is crucial in attracting potential investors, showcasing the company’s mission statement, business model and long-term income goals.

So, how can you write one?

Leveraging tools like Venngage Business Plan Make r with their Business Plan Templates to create your own real estate business plan can be transformative.

They offer a lot of real estate business plan examples and templates, streamlining the process of crafting a comprehensive plan.

Click to jump ahead: 

• 5 real estate business plan examples

How to write a real estate business plan?

• Wrapping Up

5 Real estate business plan examples

As I have said before, a well-crafted business plan is a key to success. Whether you’re a seasoned agent or just starting out, examples of effective real estate business plans can offer invaluable insights. Along with a solid business plan, incorporating innovative real estate marketing ideas is crucial for standing out in this competitive market.

These examples showcase a range of strategies and approaches tailored to various aspects of the real estate market. They serve as guides to structuring a plan that addresses key components like market analysis, marketing strategies, financial planning and client management, ensuring a solid foundation for any real estate venture.

Real estate business plan example

There are various elements in a real estate business plan that must be integrated. Incorporating these elements into a real estate business plan ensures a comprehensive approach to launching and growing a successful real estate business. 

What are they?

• Executive summary: The executive summary is a concise overview of the real estate business plan. It highlights the mission statement, outlines the business goals and provides a snapshot of the overall strategy. 
• Company overview: An overview on the history and structure of the real estate business. It includes the company’s mission and vision statements, information about the founding team and the legal structure of the business. 
• Service: Here, the business plan details the specific services offered by the real estate agency. This could range from residential property sales and leasing to commercial real estate services. The section should clearly articulate how these services meet the needs of the target client and how they stand out from competitors.
• Strategies: A very crucial part of the plan outlines the strategies for achieving business goals. It covers marketing strategies to generate leads, pricing strategies for services, and tactics for effective client relationship management. Strategies for navigating market shifts, identifying key market trends and leveraging online resources for property listings and real estate listing presentations to help with lead generation are also included.
• Financial plan: The financial plan is a comprehensive section detailing the financial projections of the business. It includes income statements, cash flow statements , break-even analysis and financial goals. Besides, a financial plan section also outlines how resources will be allocated to different areas of the business and the approach to managing the financial aspects of the real estate market, such as average sales price and housing market trends.

Read Also: 7 Best Business Plan Software for 2023

Real estate investment business plan example

A real estate investment business plan is a comprehensive blueprint that outlines the goals and strategies of a real estate investment venture. It serves as a roadmap, ensuring that all facets of real estate investment are meticulously considered.

Creating a business plan for real estate investment is a critical step for any investor, regardless of their experience level Typically, these plans span one to five years, offering a detailed strategy for future company objectives and the steps required to achieve them.

Key components:

• Executive summary: Snapshot of the business, outlining its mission statement, target market, and core strategies. It should be compelling enough to attract potential investors and partners.
• Market analysis: A thorough analysis of the real estate market, including current trends, average sales prices and potential market shifts.
• Financial projections: Detailed financial plans, including income statements, cash flow analysis, and break-even analysis.
• Strategy & implementation: Outlines how the business plans to achieve its goals. This includes marketing efforts to generate leads, pricing strategies and client relationship management techniques.
• Legal structure & resource allocation: Details the legal structure of the business and how resources will be allocated across various operations, including property acquisitions, renovations and management.

Real estate agent business plan example

A real estate agent business plan is a strategic document that outlines the operations and goals of a real estate agent or agency. It is a crucial tool for communicating with potential lenders, partners or shareholders about the nature of the business and its potential for profitability.

A well-crafted real estate agent business plan will include

• Where you are today: A clear understanding of your current position in the market, including strengths, weaknesses and market standing.
• Where you aim to be: Sets specific, measurable goals for future growth, whether it’s expanding the client base, entering new markets or increasing sales.
• How can you get there: Outlines the strategies and action plans to achieve these goals, including marketing campaigns, client acquisition strategies and business development initiatives.
• Measuring your performance: Defines the key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to assess progress towards the set goals, such as sales figures, client satisfaction rates and market share.
• Course correction: Establishes a process for regular review and adjustment of the plan, ensuring flexibility to adapt to market changes, shifts in client needs and other external factors.

For real estate agents, a comprehensive business plan is not just a roadmap to success; it is a dynamic tool that keeps them accountable and adaptable to market changes.

Realtor business plan example

A realtor business plan is a comprehensive document that outlines the strategic direction and goals of a real estate business. It’s an essential tool for realtors looking to either launch or expand their business in the competitive real estate market. The plan typically includes details about the company’s mission, objectives, target market and strategies for achieving its goals.

Benefits of a realtor business plan and applications:

• For launching or expanding businesses: The plan helps real estate agents to structure their approach to entering new markets or growing in existing ones, providing a clear path to follow.
• Securing loans and investments: A well-drafted business plan is crucial for securing financing for real estate projects, such as purchasing new properties or renovating existing ones.
• Guideline for goal achievement: The plan serves as a guideline to stay on track with sales and profitability goals, allowing realtors to make informed decisions and adjust strategies as needed.
• Valuable for real estate investors: Investors can use the template to evaluate potential real estate businesses and properties for purchase, ensuring they align with their investment goals.
• Improving business performance: By filling out a realtor business plan template , realtors can gain insights into the strengths and weaknesses of their business, using this information to enhance profitability and operational efficiency.

A realtor business plan is more than just a document; it’s a roadmap for success in the real estate industry. 

Writing a real estate business plan is a comprehensive process that involves several key steps. Here’s a detailed guide to help you craft an effective business plan :

• Tell your story : Start with a self-evaluation. Define who you are as a real estate agent, why you are in this business and what you do. Develop your mission statement, vision statement and an executive summary​​.
• Analyze your target real estate market : Focus on local market trends rather than national or state-wide levels. Examine general trends, market opportunities, saturations, and local competition. This step requires thorough research into the real estate market you plan to operate in​​.
• Identify your target client : After understanding your market, identify the niche you aim to serve and the type of clients you want to target. Create a client persona that reflects their specific needs and concerns​​.
• Conduct a SWOT analysis : Analyze your business’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This should reflect a combination of personal attributes and external market conditions​​​​.
• Establish your SMART goals : Set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely goals. These goals could be financial, expansion-related or based on other business metrics​​​​.
• Create your financial plan : Account for all operating expenses, including marketing and lead generation costs. Calculate the number of transactions needed to meet your financial goals. Remember to separate personal and business finances​​.
• Revisit your business plan to monitor & evaluate : Treat your business plan as a living document. Plan periodic reviews (quarterly, semi-annually or annually) to check if your strategies are advancing you toward your goals​​​​.
• Defining your mission & vision : Include a clear mission and vision statement. Describe your business type, location, founding principles and what sets you apart from competitors​​.
• Creating a marketing plan : Develop a marketing plan that addresses the product, price, place and promotion of your services. Determine your pricing strategy, promotional methods and marketing channels​​. If you’re unsure what marketing activities to choose, consider this guide on how to market yourself as a realtor .
• Forming a team : Ensure the cooperation of colleagues, supervisors and supervisees involved in your plan. Clarify their roles and how their participation will be evaluated​​.

Related: 15+ Business Plan Examples to Win Your Next Round of Funding

Wrapping up

The journey to a successful real estate venture is intricately linked to the quality and depth of your business plan. From understanding the nuances of the real estate market to setting strategic goals, a well-crafted business plan acts as the backbone of any thriving real estate business. Whether you’re developing a general real estate business plan, focusing on investment, working as an agent, or operating as a realtor, each plan type serves its unique purpose and addresses specific aspects of the real estate world.

The examples and insights provided in this article serve as a guide to help you navigate the complexities of the real estate industry. Remember, a real estate business plan is not a static document but a dynamic blueprint that evolves with your business and the ever-changing market trends.

Crafting a strategic real estate business plan is a crucial step towards achieving your business goals. So, start shaping your vision today with Venngage.

Explore venngage business plan maker & our business plan templates and begin your journey to a successful real estate business now!

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Real Estate Investing Business Plan

Ready to dive into the world of real estate investing? Embarking on this journey can be exciting and profitable, but it’s essential to be well-prepared and have a solid business plan in place. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the crucial steps of crafting your real estate investing business plan, from defining your investment goals to assembling a skilled team. Set yourself up for success and turn your real estate dreams into reality.

Key Takeaways

• Real estate investing requires a comprehensive business plan to optimize decision-making and utilize resources.
• SMART goals, market research, financial planning & projections are essential for successful real estate investments.
• Building a team of professionals and implementing efficient systems can help investors prepare for potential risks & challenges.

The Importance of a Real Estate Investing Business Plan

A well-crafted real estate investing business plan includes the following elements:

• Mission and vision statement
• SWOT analysis
• Clearly defined short-term and long-term goals
• Tailored investment strategy
• Comprehensive market research
• Robust marketing plan
• Detailed financial plan
• Experienced real estate team

This estate investment business plan, complete with an executive summary, serves as a roadmap to guide decision-making, track progress, and attract potential investors in the real estate market.

A business plan greatly enhances your chances of success in real estate investing, setting you apart as a proactive entrepreneur within the realm of property investment. A well-prepared plan allows you to anticipate potential opportunities and threats and make informed decisions, which is crucial in the ever-changing real estate investment market. In this context, having multiple business plans can be beneficial for diversifying your investment portfolio.

Essentially, a robust real estate investing business plan offers a strategic blueprint for maneuvering through the property market. It ensures:

• The efficient use of resources
• Optimal decision-making
• The ability to adapt to market trends
• Ultimately leading to a thriving real estate investment business.

Defining Your Real Estate Investment Goals

Establishing clear, measurable, and achievable goals in your real estate investing business plan offers direction and sets you on the path to attaining those goals in the real estate investment market. Utilizing the SMART acronym—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—ensures that your goals provide clear guidance and are attainable within a reasonable timeframe.

Examples of short-term and long-term goals for a real estate investment business could include having a predetermined number of properties in your portfolio or setting a desired return on investment (ROI) to be achieved on an annual basis. Aligning your personal objectives with your business objectives is vital, as the success of your real estate investment business relies on your dedication, enthusiasm, and drive, as well as your ability to adapt to market trends in the real estate industry.

Establishing your investment goals lays the groundwork for a prosperous real estate venture. This clarity helps you stay focused and motivated, ensuring that you consistently make strategic and informed decisions that drive your business forward.

Selecting Your Real Estate Investment Niche

The fundamental principle of real estate investing is to acquire and dispose of properties for financial gain in the real estate industry. Selecting a specific real estate investment niche, such as residential, commercial, or industrial properties, is crucial for maximizing profits. The location of your real estate business plays a significant role in guaranteeing the highest possible returns on investment. Real estate investment businesses should carefully consider these factors to ensure success.

Long-term real estate investments can also consider options such as real estate investment trust, real estate investment company stocks, and other alternatives. Potential issues, like a lack of low-income housing, inefficient management, elevated eviction rates, or a surplus/deficit of a particular type of real estate, can create investment opportunities in the industry.

Selecting a distinct investment niche combined with rigorous research, allows for the identification of profitable opportunities and risk mitigation. This targeted approach allows you to focus on a specialized market segment and develop a deep understanding of the trends and dynamics at play, ultimately leading to better investment decisions.

Crafting Your Real Estate Investment Strategy

Constructing a bespoke investment strategy based on your goals, niche, and market analysis guarantees a successful and lucrative real estate venture. Real estate investment strategies may include:

• A low-risk, slow-roll strategy of maintaining long-term investments
• House flipping for potential quick profits
• Investing in multi-family apartment buildings

Formulating a customized investment strategy based on your objectives, specialization, and market analysis also ensures a prosperous and lucrative real estate venture. Your investment strategy should include exit strategies such as rehabbing, wholesaling, and renting, which can help secure profits and protect your investments. Establishing metrics for measuring success in your real estate investing business plan is essential in monitoring progress and making judicious investments.

An astutely designed investment strategy offers a transparent route to tread, enabling the making of strategic decisions that coincide with your broader business objectives. This approach helps minimize risks and maximize returns, setting your real estate investment business on the path to success.

Conducting Comprehensive Market Research

Conducting market research in real estate investing is essential for staying informed and foreseeing changes due to external influences. A comprehensive market analysis, including a SWOT analysis, is crucial in understanding the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats before launching your business.

A comprehensive market analysis can assist in selecting the most advantageous market segment and the optimal locality for investment. A thorough market analysis is essential in a real estate investing business plan to identify trends, opportunities, and potential challenges in the target market, thus providing the necessary information to make informed investment decisions.

Comprehensive market research equips you to:

• Recognize trends, opportunities, and potential hurdles in your target market
• Make well-informed investment decisions
• Stay ahead of the curve and seize lucrative opportunities
• Ensure the growth and success of your real estate investment business.

Developing a Robust Marketing Plan

Developing a marketing strategy for your real estate investment business can help establish a strong brand, foster trust with investors and clients, and promote your services. A marketing plan should encompass the strategy for identifying and concluding transactions, essentials for sustaining profitability per transaction, and expenditure for each transaction. The marketing strategy in a real estate investing business plan demonstrates the methods and locations utilized for marketing and acquiring new customers.

Various marketing strategies are available for real estate investing businesses, such as Facebook advertisements and search engine optimization. The specific area of real estate you focus on significantly influences the emphasis placed on marketing and the strategies you choose.

A solid marketing plan is indispensable for drawing in leads, enhancing brand visibility, and cementing a powerful presence within the property market. By implementing effective marketing strategies, you can reach your target audience, generate interest in your business, and ultimately, drive growth and success.

Financial Planning and Projections

Developing a detailed financial plan for your real estate investment business is essential for financial stability and growth. Your financial plan should include:

• Income statement
• Cash flow statement
• Balance sheet
• Short-term and long-term goals regarding profits and losses

By creating a comprehensive financial plan, including projections for income, expenses, and cash flow, you can ensure the success of your real estate investment business.

Accuracy in crafting a financial plan is crucial, as it allows you to identify areas that are and are not performing well for your business. Investing in real estate requires careful consideration of many costs, including:

• Closing fees
• Property management
• Repairs and maintenance

All of these must be taken into account to ensure a successful investment.

An all-inclusive financial plan aids in tracking your business’s performance, pinpointing possible issues, and making well-informed decisions to secure its longevity. By keeping a close eye on your income, expenses, and cash flow, you can maintain financial stability and support the continued growth of your real estate investment business.

Building Your Real Estate Team

Having a real estate team can optimize productivity and bolster your business. Essential roles for a successful real estate investment team include:

• Acquisition manager
• Real estate lawyer
• Money lender
• Project manager
• Civil engineer
• Property manager

Expert-trained representatives can answer incoming calls, converse with motivated sellers, ask pertinent questions, and arrange subsequent appointments with the investor or their Acquisitions Manager.

Real estate investors should have vendors on their team to assist with purchasing, rehabilitating, and buying or selling investment properties. A strong real estate team not only supports your business operations but also contributes to the overall success of your real estate investment ventures.

Real Estate Investing Mentors

BPM REIA is a comprehensive real estate investing mentorship program that offers educational resources and mentorship on real estate investing strategies. Collaborating with BPM REIA offers advantageous insights, direction, and assistance in constructing a prosperous investment venture.

BPM REIA offers:

• Educational and mentoring resources on real estate investing strategies
• Assistance in streamlining the investment process and attaining financial freedom
• Guidance and support in establishing a strong and dependable power team to ensure the success of your real estate investment business.

Partnering with real estate investing mentors, such as BPM REIA, can provide you with valuable insights, guidance, and support to build a successful investment business. Their expertise and experience can help you navigate the complexities of the industry and make informed decisions, ultimately leading to greater success and financial freedom.

Implementing Efficient Systems and Processes

Instituting effective systems and processes in real estate investment is crucial for streamlining daily operations, enhancing productivity, and expanding your real estate investment business. Best practices for implementing efficient systems and processes include:

• Constructing systems and policies for scaling and growth
• Instituting property search, evaluation, marketing, and lead generation systems
• Instituting follow-up systems

Examples of efficient systems and processes in the real estate investment industry include lead generation systems, follow-up systems, marketing systems, bookkeeping systems, and real estate appraisals and field inspection automation. Reinvesting into your business is essential for delegating and automating daily operations, such as responding to emails, developing marketing strategies, communicating with sellers, gathering buyer data, and purchasing profitable properties.

Implementing efficient systems and processes allows for the optimization of daily operations, enhancement of productivity, and expansion of your real estate venture. This approach allows you to:

• Focus on strategic decision-making
• Focus on growth
• Ensure that your business remains competitive and successful in the ever-changing real estate industry.

Preparing for Challenges and Risks

Having a contingency plan or escape route in the event of an unfavorable outcome, anticipating potential issues before they arise, and taking precautionary measures to safeguard investments and guarantee long-term success are all crucial elements of real estate investing. Real estate investment requires an exit strategy. This plan outlines how an investor will dissociate themselves from a deal or the business..

When formulating an exit strategy, consider reducing financial losses, recovering as much of your original investment as possible, and avoiding any unanticipated fees that could reduce profits, such as tax implications. Potential lenders, employees, and clients may inquire about scenarios such as extended market times, seller cancellations prior to closing, and higher than average vacancy rates. These should all be accounted for in your exit strategies and backup plans.

Preparing for possible obstacles and risks helps safeguard your investments and guarantees the longevity of your property investment venture. Developing contingency plans and exit strategies allows you to navigate unforeseen obstacles and make strategic adjustments as needed, ensuring that your business remains resilient and adaptable in a dynamic industry.

Frequently Asked Questions

To write a real estate investor business plan, establish your vision, outline short-term and long-term goals, take inventory of your current finances, conduct market research, develop an investment strategy, and create a marketing plan.

Yes, a business plan is necessary for real estate investing as it can help you to navigate potential obstacles and set yourself up for success.

LLCs are the recommended option for real estate investments, as they offer limited liability protection. However, it is still ultimately a personal decision as to whether an LLC is the right choice for your particular investment.

Real estate investing can be a highly profitable opportunity offering both income and appreciation potential. It also provides diversification benefits, making it an attractive investment for those seeking portfolio balance.

In conclusion, crafting a comprehensive real estate investing business plan is vital for success in the industry. By defining your investment goals, selecting a niche, developing a tailored investment strategy, conducting market research, creating a robust marketing plan, and assembling a skilled team, you set the foundation for a thriving real estate investment business. By preparing for challenges and risks and implementing efficient systems and processes, you can navigate the complexities of the industry and build a successful, profitable business that stands the test of time.

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How to Create a Real Estate Investment Business Plan for Residential Rental Properties (Free Template)

Ready to unlock the potential of real estate investment and build your financial future? Whether you’re an experienced investor or just starting out , crafting a well-thought-out business plan is critical if you're to succeed in the world of residential rental properties. 

This article will guide you through the essential steps, considerations, and components of creating a real estate investment business plan. Plus, we've got a valuable free template to make your journey even more manageable.

Why You Need a Business Plan for Real Estate Investment

Crafting an effective real estate investment business plan is about more than paperwork; it's about turning your aspirations into achievements.

Creating a formalized business plan for your real estate investment venture is tantamount to success. It forces you—the investor—to organize your thoughts, feelings, goals, and ideas moving forward in the business in a single, powerful document. 

Remember, this is a living document meant to be flexible as your business grows or changes tactics over the years. It keeps you on target, helps expand your business, and keeps your financial goals on track. 

It’s also a helpful document for potential investors, creditors, and partners to peruse before pursuing a business venture with you. 

And speaking of collaborators, finding sample real estate investment business plans or a template to download to get you started is a good idea. But before diving into that, let's look at a few general considerations that will shape your plan.

General Considerations for a Real Estate Investment Business Plan

Before you start actually writing your business plan, there are a few general considerations to keep in mind:

• The Why. When you start any new venture, it’s good to know you’ve got the strength to realize your goals, even when things get tricky. Defining why you’re embarking upon this real estate investment journey is necessary if you want  to reach your destination. Why do you want to invest in real estate? To create financial independence? To serve the community? To provide for your family? Everyone’s “why” is unique to them. As such, your underlying motivation should be the starting point of creating a business plan. Everything follows from this origin.
• Financial Goals. Next, it’s wise to consider your financial goals. What are you hoping to accomplish financially? This is a business, and having defined financial goals will help keep your real estate investments trending in the right direction. 
• Timeline. When do you want to achieve all this? Are you taking this business from now until retirement or looking to flip a few houses before the decade closes? Having a general timeline in mind when planning means you’ll be realistic about what goals you can accomplish. 
• Real Estate Investment Strategy. There are countless ways to jumpstart your real estate investments. Doing a bit of research to discover which real estate investment strategies best suit your financial goals and desired timeline will ensure your business plan is realistic moving forward.

These considerations form the foundation of your real estate investment business plan. But how do you piece it together and create a comprehensive, winning document? 

Spoiler alert: Property managers can be your secret weapon in crafting an airtight plan and guiding you through your investment journey. 

But first, let's explore the essential components of your business plan and how a property manager can make the process smoother.

Essential Components of a Business Plan for Real Estate Investment 

A well-thought-out business plan for real estate investment should help you secure the financing and partnerships needed to bring your dream to fruition. 

To do this, it must include the following components:

• Executive Summary: a bird’s eye view. The first section of a business plan is like an abstract for a research paper. Here, you’ll introduce the plan and give an overview of what comes later in the document. 
• Define your team. Who are you bringing on this journey? What are their qualifications? This section can attract new investors and partners by touting the team's accomplishments. 
• Outline marketing strategy. A business plan won’t succeed without a marketing strategy to connect with potential clients, in this case, future tenants. Your real estate business plan must include understanding the need for top-quality marketing and a method to market your business successfully. Will you run social media ads? Rent local billboard space? 
• Demonstrate initiative and a willingness to learn. Include a section to show that you know this industry, have researched the competition, and are aware of local real estate market trends and areas for growth. This will communicate to potential investors you’re willing to put in the elbow grease it takes to succeed long-term in this business. 
• Describe the “What”. What services will you offer? What type of properties will you invest in? What are the next steps to your plan moving forward? 

As you dive deeper into your real estate investment journey, remember that the strength of every property manager relationship reflects the property owner's dedication. 

How to Create a Residential Real Estate Business Plan Quickly 

If you're looking to create a residential real estate business plan quickly, here are a few must-have tips to get you started:

• Define: Mission. Vision. Values. A business is only as strong as its “big three” pillars: the mission, vision, and values. Begin your business plan by defining what the purpose of your business is (its mission), your plan to bring this mission to life (vision), and the values that will guide your actions when the going gets tough. Careful consideration of these will give you clarity when finding team members to build your business later on. You need people who click with what your business stands for. 
• Identify short and long-term goals. A real estate business is only as successful as it prepares to be. Remember the adage: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Spending time identifying short (3-12 months out) and long (1-5 years in the future) term goals gives you and your team ways to mark the journey to success with well-defined milestones. 
• Figure out the finances. How will you fund your business? There are many ways to find capital to bring your real estate business plan to life, but you may have to get creative. And you’ll need to stay organized and on task to bring your financial goals to fruition. 
• Find the perfect property manager. The quickest way to accomplish this magnificent business plan you’re creating? Hire a property manager to help you skip the grunt work. But while finding the right manager for your business isn’t easy—you’ll need to research and interview several property managers before you get a feel for what’s best for you—the road will be much less bumpy with a solid business plan in hand. 

How a Property Manager Can Help You Create a Real Estate Investment Business Plan

A property manager can help you create a real estate investment business plan in five important  ways. 

• Provide you with insights into the local real estate market.
• Help you identify and evaluate potential investment properties.
• Help you develop a marketing strategy to attract tenants.
• Help you manage your finances and keep track of your expenses.
• Provide you with guidance and support throughout the investment process.

When you enter property manager interviews armed with a robust business plan, you demonstrate your commitment and pave the way for a successful partnership. 

Ultimately, creating the ideal business plan for real estate investment begins with you. Every property manager relationship is only as strong as the drive of the property owner. 

Download APM’s free sample real estate investment business plan template to get started.

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Real Estate Investment Business Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you interested in diving into the world of real estate investment? Then you’ve come to the right place! In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of creating a solid real estate investment business plan. Whether you’re new to the game or looking to take your investments to the next level, this guide has got you covered.

Now, you might be wondering, why do I need a business plan for real estate investment? Well, think of it as your roadmap to success. A well-crafted business plan helps you define your goals, clarify your investment strategy, and outline the steps you need to take to achieve financial prosperity. It’s like having a GPS for your real estate journey.

But fret not! This guide will break it down into simple, easy-to-follow steps. We’ll cover everything from conducting market research, analyzing potential properties, securing financing, and creating a marketing strategy. So grab your pencil, get ready to take notes, and let’s embark on this exciting real estate investment adventure together!

1. Defining Your Investment Goals

Before diving into the details of your business plan , it’s important to have a clear understanding of your investment goals. Ask yourself questions like: What is your desired return on investment? Are you looking for long-term appreciation or immediate cash flow? Are you interested in residential or commercial properties? By defining your goals, you will be able to tailor your business plan to align with your specific objectives. Additionally, having a clearly defined set of goals will help you stay focused and motivated as you navigate the real estate market.

Once you have identified your investment goals, be sure to include them in your business plan. Outline your financial targets, such as the amount of profit you aim to make or the number of properties you plan to acquire within a certain timeframe. This will not only serve as a roadmap for your business but will also help potential investors or partners understand your vision and objectives.

2. Conducting Market Research

To develop a successful real estate investment business plan, you need to have a deep understanding of the market you are operating in. Conducting thorough market research will provide you with valuable insights into the current trends, demand, and competition in the real estate industry. Start by analyzing both the local and national market conditions. Look at factors such as population growth, employment rates, and average property prices to gauge the potential for growth and profitability in your target area.

Additionally, research the specific neighborhoods or submarkets you plan to invest in. Consider factors like crime rates, school districts, amenities, and proximity to transportation. This information will help you identify the most attractive areas for investment and tailor your strategy accordingly. Keep in mind that market conditions can change rapidly, so it’s important to keep a pulse on the latest trends and adjust your plans as needed.

3. Developing a Financing Strategy

Real estate investments often require significant upfront capital, so having a clear financing strategy is crucial. Determine how you plan to fund your investments and outline the sources of capital in your business plan. This may include personal savings, loans from financial institutions, private lenders, or partnerships with other investors. Be sure to include a detailed analysis of the costs involved in acquiring and maintaining properties, such as purchase price, renovation expenses, property management fees, and ongoing maintenance costs.

In addition to traditional financing options, explore alternative methods like crowdfunding or joint ventures. These strategies can provide access to additional funding and also offer opportunities for collaboration and risk-sharing. Analyze the pros and cons of each financing option and choose the one that aligns best with your investment goals and risk appetite.

4. Creating a Marketing and Acquisition Plan

In a competitive real estate market, a well-thought-out marketing and acquisition plan can give you a significant edge. Your business plan should outline the strategies you will use to find and acquire properties. Research different marketing channels, such as online listings, social media advertising, direct mail campaigns, and networking events, to identify the most effective methods for reaching your target audience.

Consider creating partnerships with local real estate agents or wholesalers who can provide you with off-market opportunities. Develop relationships with key players in the industry, including property managers, contractors, and lenders, to gain a competitive advantage. Additionally, outline your criteria for property acquisition, such as desired property types, price ranges, and potential for growth or cash flow. This will help you stay focused on your investment objectives and avoid wasting time and resources on properties that don’t align with your strategy.

5. Implementing a Risk Management Plan

Real estate investing inherently carries some degree of risk, but a well-designed risk management plan can help mitigate potential pitfalls. Identify the risks specific to your investment strategy, such as market volatility, changes in government regulations, or unexpected property repairs. Develop strategies to minimize these risks and include them in your business plan.

Consider factors like diversification, insurance coverage, and contingency plans for worst-case scenarios. Create a financial buffer to account for unforeseen expenses or extended vacancies. By proactively addressing potential risks and having a solid risk management plan in place, you will be better prepared to handle any challenges that may arise in your real estate investment journey.

6. Measuring Success and Adjusting Your Plan

Once your business plan is in motion, it’s important to regularly review and evaluate your progress. Set key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your investment goals and track them over time. This may include metrics like cash flow, return on investment, property appreciation, or the number of successfully completed deals.

By regularly measuring your success and analyzing the performance of your investments, you can identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments to your plan. Real estate investing is a dynamic industry, and it’s important to stay adaptable and open to changes in the market. Continuously educate yourself on industry trends, attend networking events, and seek advice from experienced professionals to stay ahead of the curve.

7. Scaling Your Business

As you gain experience and success in the real estate investment industry, you may want to consider scaling your business. This could involve expanding your portfolio, entering new markets, or diversifying your investment strategies. Your business plan should include a section dedicated to your growth plans and outline the steps you will take to achieve them.

Research new investment opportunities, explore partnerships or joint ventures, and identify the resources you will need to scale your operations. Continuously refine your business plan to align with your evolving goals and the changing market landscape. By strategically scaling your real estate investment business, you can unlock new avenues for profitability and enhance your overall success.

Key Financial Metrics for Real Estate Investors

As a real estate investor, it’s essential to understand key financial metrics to evaluate the performance and profitability of your investment properties. Here are three important metrics to consider:

1. Cash-on-Cash Return (CoC)

Cash-on-cash return measures the annual pre-tax cash flow generated by an investment property relative to the amount of cash invested. It is calculated by dividing the annual net operating income (NOI) by the total cash invested, expressed as a percentage.

CoC = Annual NOI / Total Cash Invested * 100

A higher cash-on-cash return indicates a more favorable investment, as it means you are generating a higher return relative to the amount of cash you have put into the property.

2. Cap Rate (Capitalization Rate)

The cap rate is a key metric for evaluating the rate of return on a real estate investment. It is calculated by dividing the property’s net operating income (NOI) by its purchase price or current market value, expressed as a percentage.

Cap Rate = Annual NOI / Purchase Price or Market Value * 100

A higher cap rate indicates a higher potential return on investment. However, it’s important to consider other factors such as property location, market conditions, and future growth potential when interpreting the cap rate.

3. Return on Investment (ROI)

The return on investment measures the profitability of an investment property. It is calculated by dividing the property’s net profit by the total invested amount, expressed as a percentage.

ROI = (Net Profit / Total Invested Amount) * 100

A higher ROI indicates a more profitable investment. However, it’s important to consider the time horizon for the investment, as a property with a higher ROI may require a longer holding period to realize the returns.

By analyzing these key financial metrics, you can make informed investment decisions and assess the performance of your real estate portfolio. Remember to consider the specific market conditions and individual property characteristics when interpreting these metrics, as they can vary depending on the location and type of investment.

Tips for Success in Real Estate Investment

While developing a comprehensive business plan is essential, it’s also important to incorporate practical tips and strategies to increase your chances of success in the real estate investment industry. Here are some valuable tips to consider:

1. Build a Strong Network

Networking is a crucial component of success in the real estate investment industry. Connect with other investors, real estate agents, brokers, contractors, and industry professionals to build a strong network. Attend local real estate events, join online forums, and engage in social media groups to expand your connections. They can provide valuable insights, opportunities for partnership or collaboration, and access to off-market deals.

2. Continuously Educate Yourself

Real estate investing is an ever-evolving field, and it’s important to stay up-to-date with industry trends, regulations, and best practices. Continuously educate yourself through workshops, seminars, online courses, and reading industry publications. Knowledge is power, and by staying informed, you can make smarter investment decisions and navigate the real estate market with confidence.

3. Embrace Technology

In today’s digital age, technology plays a vital role in the real estate industry. Embrace technological tools and platforms that can streamline your investment processes, help you analyze data, and market your properties effectively. Utilize property management software, online listing platforms, virtual tours, and social media advertising to enhance your operations and reach a wider audience.

The Benefits of a Real Estate Investment Business Plan

Developing a real estate investment business plan offers several key benefits that can contribute to your success in the industry:

1. Clarity and Focus

A well-crafted business plan provides clarity and focus by clearly defining your investment goals, strategies, and target market. It serves as a roadmap for your business, helping you stay on track and focused on your objectives.

2. Attracting Investors

If you plan to seek financing or partner with other investors, a comprehensive business plan can be a powerful tool for attracting potential investors. It demonstrates that you have conducted thorough research, have a well-thought-out strategy, and are committed to your investment goals.

3. Identifying Potential Risks

By carefully considering potential risks and incorporating risk management strategies into your business plan, you can minimize the impact of unforeseen challenges. This proactive approach helps you mitigate risks and ensures the long-term viability of your real estate investment business.

4. Monitoring Performance

A business plan allows you to track your performance against your set goals and key performance indicators. It helps you identify areas where adjustments are needed and provides a benchmark for measuring your success.

5. Enhancing Decision Making

Having a business plan in place provides a framework for making informed decisions. It helps you evaluate potential investment opportunities, assess the viability of new markets, and make strategic choices that align with your long-term objectives.

Additional Resources

For further guidance and resources on real estate investment business plans and strategies, here are three recommended sources to explore:

1. Real Estate Investment Business Plan Templates

Various websites offer free or paid real estate investment business plan templates that can assist you in creating your own customized plan. These templates provide a comprehensive structure and outline the key components to include in a business plan.

2. Real Estate Investment Courses and Workshops

Consider enrolling in real estate investment courses or workshops to gain in-depth knowledge and practical skills. Many reputable institutions and organizations offer online or in-person programs that cover topics such as property analysis, market research, financing strategies, and risk management.

3. Real Estate Investment Books

Explore a wide range of real estate investment books written by experienced investors and industry experts. These books provide valuable insights, tips, and strategies for success in real estate investing. Some highly recommended titles include “The Millionaire Real Estate Investor” by Gary Keller, “The Book on Rental Property Investing” by Brandon Turner, and “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki.

In conclusion, creating a well-structured and comprehensive real estate investment business plan is essential for success in the industry. By defining your investment goals, conducting market research, developing a financing strategy, creating a marketing and acquisition plan, implementing risk management strategies, measuring performance, and considering growth opportunities, you can position yourself for long-term success as a real estate investor. Remember to continually educate yourself, build a strong network, embrace technology, and leverage the benefits of a well-crafted business plan to achieve your financial goals in the real estate investment business.

Key Takeaways: Real Estate Investment Business Plan – A Step-by-Step Guide

• A real estate investment business plan is a roadmap for success in the real estate industry.
• It helps investors set goals, identify target markets, and outline strategies for acquiring properties.
• Research and analysis are crucial in creating a solid business plan.
• Key components of a real estate investment plan include financial projections, marketing strategies, and risk management.
• Regularly reviewing and updating your business plan is essential for adapting to market changes and achieving long-term success.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the world of real estate investment, having a solid business plan is key to success. Here are the answers to some common questions regarding creating a step-by-step guide for a real estate investment business plan.

1. What information should be included in a real estate investment business plan?

A real estate investment business plan should include an executive summary, company description, market analysis, investment strategy, financial projections, and an exit strategy. The executive summary provides an overview of the entire plan, while the company description delves into the business structure and goals.

Market analysis analyzes the target market, competition, and potential customers. The investment strategy outlines the types of properties to be targeted and the approach for acquiring them. Financial projections project revenue, expenses, and potential returns. Finally, the exit strategy details how investments will be sold or liquidated.

2. How do I determine my target market?

To determine your target market in real estate investment, consider factors such as location, property type, and tenant demographics. Research and analyze local housing markets, rental rates, vacancy rates, and population growth to identify lucrative opportunities.

Consider the needs and preferences of potential tenants, such as families, students, or young professionals. This will help you choose the right types of properties to invest in, whether it’s single-family homes, apartment complexes, or commercial real estate.

3. How do I create a financial projection for my real estate investment business plan?

Creating a financial projection for your real estate investment business plan involves estimating revenue and expenses over a specific time period. Begin by estimating your rental income based on market research, including factors like rental rates, vacancy rates, and potential occupancy rates.

Next, calculate your operating expenses, including property taxes, insurance, maintenance costs, and property management fees. Deduct these expenses from the rental income to determine your net operating income. From there, consider additional costs such as loan payments and vacancies to arrive at your cash flow projections.

4. What should be included in the executive summary of a real estate investment business plan?

The executive summary of a real estate investment business plan should give a concise overview of the entire plan, highlighting the key points and objectives. It should include a summary of the business concept, investment strategy, target market, and financial projections.

Additionally, the executive summary should showcase the experience and expertise of the individuals involved in the business, as well as any unique selling points that set the company apart from competitors. Although it appears at the beginning of the business plan, it is often written last to ensure that all the necessary information is included.

5. What is an exit strategy in real estate investment?

An exit strategy in real estate investment is a plan for how and when an investor intends to sell or dispose of their investments. It is crucial to have an exit strategy to maximize returns and minimize risks. Common exit strategies include selling properties, refinancing, or passing them down to heirs.

When formulating an exit strategy, consider factors such as market conditions, property appreciation, and the overall investment goals. Having a clear exit strategy allows investors to make informed decisions about when to exit investments and how to make the most out of their real estate portfolio.

Okay, so here’s what you need to remember about creating a real estate investment business plan. First, do your research and figure out what type of properties you want to invest in. Second, set some specific goals for yourself, like how much money you want to make and how many properties you want to own. Third, come up with a plan for finding and financing these properties, whether it’s through loans or partnerships. Finally, make sure you have a backup plan in case things don’t go exactly as you hoped. And remember, it’s okay to ask for help and advice along the way!

To put it simply, creating a real estate investment business plan is all about setting goals, making a plan, and being prepared for the unexpected. It’s an exciting adventure, but it takes hard work and determination to succeed. So go out there, chase your dreams, and make smart decisions along the way. Good luck, future real estate mogul!

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Airport Operator Financial Model

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Hair Salon Financial Plan | Beauty Salon Business Plan

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Online Clothing Store Financial Model Excel Template

Impress bankers and investors with a proven, solid Online Clothing Store Financial Projection Template. Five year online clothing store cash... read more

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Clothing Store Financial Model Excel Template

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Hotel Valuation Financial Model

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Dental Practice Financial Model Excel Template

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Real Estate Developer Model

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Hospital Financial Model

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Simple Fundraising Model

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Budget vs. Actual (Logistic Company)

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Restaurant Financial Model Excel Template

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Real Estate Brokerage Firm Financial Model Template

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Travel Agency Financial Model Excel Template

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DCF Valuation Model Restaurant

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Commercial Bank Financial Model

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Equipment Rental Cash Flow Model

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Open Pit Mine Financial Model

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Payroll Budget Plan Excel Template

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Medical Practice Financial Model Excel Template

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Pizzeria Financial Model Excel Template

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Coffee Farm Financial Feasibility Model Template

This coffee farm financial feasibility model template prepares a financial plan for your next coffee growing project! Figure out the expected incomes ... read more

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Solar Panel Manufacturing Plant Business Plan Financial Model Excel Template

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Generic Cost Benefit Analysis Excel Model

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Budget vs Actual Excel Template

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Resort Financial Model Excel Template

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WACC Calculator | Discount Rate Estimation

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Airline Operator Financial Model

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Golf Course Financial Model – Startup

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Highly versatile and user-friendly Excel model for the preparation a of 5-year rolling 3 statement (Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash flow Stat... read more

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Payable and Receivable Tracking (Google Sheets)

This is a Google Sheets version of the financial model template for tracking accounts payable and accounts receivable

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Cannabis Financial Model Excel Template

Download Cannabis Farming Financial Model. Creates 5-year financial projection and financial ratios in GAAP or IFRS formats on the fly. Cann... read more

Generic Startup Financial Projection 3 statement Excel Model

User-friendly Excel model intended for the preparation of a 3 statement (Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cashflow Statement) financial projection ... read more

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Mergers and Acquisition (M&A) Financial Model

Merger and Acquisition Model template consists of an excel model which assists the user to assess the financial viability of the resulting proforma me... read more

Insurance Pricing Model

Ever wondered how much you need to charge in order to offer insurance on a given product or service? You will know how much after using this tool.

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Renewable Energy Financial Model Bundle

This is a collection of financial model templates for projects or ventures in the Renewable Energy Industry and its related sectors.

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Real Estate Financial Model Bundle

This is a collection of financial model templates that provides the financial projections and valuations for Real Estate businesses and its related se... read more

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IPO Valuation Model

This financial model can be used to value any Initial Public Offering (IPO) using Option Value, DCF and Relative Valuation.

Skin Care Financial Model Excel Template

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Bar Financial Model Excel Template

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Flower Shop Financial Model Excel Template

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Real Estate Portfolio Template – Excel Spreadsheet

The Real Estate Portfolio Template forecasts the financial performance when building a real estate portfolio. The model allows simulating various scen... read more

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Barber Shop Financial Model Excel Template

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Shopping Mall Financial Model

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Mini Storage Business Plan Template

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Full Service Hospital Financial Model

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Manufacturing Startup Feasibility Model

Launching a manufacturing startup can be complex, and securing financing requires a solid financial plan. Our Manufacturing Startup Financial Feasibil... read more

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Steel Industry Financial Model

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Laundry Financial Model Excel Template

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Monte Carlo Simulation in Excel

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Best practice model for a complete Price Volume Mix (PVM) analysis on revenue and on gross profit by product.

E-Commerce 3 Statement Financial Projection Model with Valuation

Highly versatile and user-friendly Excel model for the preparation of a rolling 3 statement (Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash flow Statement) ... read more

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Clinic Financial Model Excel Template

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Food Truck Financial Model Excel Template

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Leveraged Buyout (LBO) Model

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Poultry Farm Valuation Model

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The Impact Investor | ESG Investing Blog

Investing for financial return is only part of the equation.

12 Best Real Estate Investing Business Plan Templates

Updated on September 26, 2023

Our posts may contain links from our affiliate partners. This supports helps support the site as we donate 10% of all profits to sustainability organizations that align with our values. However, this does not influence our opinions or ratings. Please read our Terms and Conditions for more information.

Investing in real estate can be lucrative, regardless of whether you make it your primary business or a side hustle. It can be a great source of ongoing income and profits from appreciation. Investing in real estate is also an excellent way to build wealth. These are some real estate investing business plan templates to help you get started.

Table of Contents

Key Components of a Real Estate Investment Business Plan

Executive summary, company description, industry analysis, investment strategy, customer analysis, competitive analysis, marketing plan, operations plan, management team, financial plan, best real estate investing business plan templates, 1. growthink, 2. fit small business, 3. upmetrics, 4. fortunebuilders, 5. businessplantemplate.com, 6. planbuildr, 7. real estate investing.org, 10. wiki download, 12. property geek, frequently asked questions, do i need a business plan if i want to buy a couple of houses and flip them, must i hire a consultant to help me develop a business plan for my real estate business.

However, real estate investing requires a business plan, as with all business ventures. A business plan is necessary to guide your decision-making and growth and help you finance your real estate and business operations.

A real estate investing business plan includes several components.

The executive summary introduces your business and provides an overview of your business and the contents of your business plan. It describes how you plan to succeed at your business. It also includes your mission and vision statement.

Your mission and vision statement articulates the values and direction of your real estate business. It is the guiding star that you use for developing your strategy. The mission statement should inspire customers and your team.

You’ll develop your mission and vision statement first, and your strategy will fit your vision. To create your mission and vision statement, consider companies that you admire. (They can be from any industry.) Then, find their mission and vision statements and use them to develop your own.

Your executive summary is the first part of your plan. However, you wait to write the executive summary after you’ve written the rest of the plan.

Your business plan should contain a brief overview of your company, your management team, and your expertise. It describes your legal structure, such as whether you are an S-Corp., LLC, or corporation.

It also describes the type of real estate investing business you will operate; for example, do you plan to make long-term investments in rental properties or embrace a short-term investment strategy where you buy a fixer-upper, renovate it and sell it quickly at a profit?

You’ll provide further details on your company in the rest of the business plan.

This section includes a market analysis, including any market trends that may affect your business. Writing this section requires that you research the business, which educates you. It also should prove to potential funding sources that you are knowledgeable.

The industry analysis section should include answers to several questions, such as

• How big is the market?
• Is it increasing or decreasing?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• Who are your key competitors?

See Related: Predictive Analytics in Banking: Enhancing Financial Decision-making

Although you briefly mention your strategy for your investment properties in the company description, you’ll deal with it in depth. You’ll also discuss how your strategy will help you meet your business and personal goals.

For example, you may purchase real estate and want to focus on long-term investments that produce income while also appreciating. However, until you can build up sufficient capital, you may engage in wholesaling, where you put a contract on a home and then find an investor to buy it.

Your strategy should also include the types of properties you will invest in, for example, single-family homes, apartment buildings, or commercial properties. If your investments are within a specific geography, you’ll also list that geography in this section.

The customer analysis section briefly overviews your target customers, for example, renters or home buyers. A well-researched customer analysis will break their target market into demographic and psychographic groups.

The competitive analysis section overviews your competitors, their target market, products and services, and marketing share. Many real estate business plans also analyze their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT), especially concerning their competitors. A SWOT analysis is an excellent way to find solutions to potential challenges.

The SWOT analysis starts with strengths and weaknesses. You might consider questions such as

• Are you successful at finding high-quality tenants?
• What is your track record in identifying good properties to renovate and sell?
• What is your competitive advantage, i.e., what do you do better than your competitors?
• How successful are you at raising capital?

The SWOT analysis also looks at opportunities and threats. A potential opportunity could be a new subway stop opening near a property you own that could boost its desirability or an opportunity to increase amenities at one of your apartment complexes. A threat could be a competitor renting similar properties at a lower price.

The marketing plan is a critical component of any business plan. The marketing plan should include

• Your business logo. Your logo should reflect your mission statement in some way.
• The value proposition of your real estate investing business. The value proposition is what the business offers customers that is unique.
• Promotions strategy, including how you’ll gain referrals, use the Internet and social media, advertise in publications, and undertake other promotions.
• Your plan to develop, maintain, and grow relationships with potential customers.
• The type of products or services you will offer are property management services, renovated homes, or brokerage services.
• Your pricing strategy and how that compares with competitors.

The Operations Plan describes how you operate from day to day. It includes information on how you:

• Find properties to acquire
• Oversee renovations
• Market properties when you wish to sell them
• Determine when to sell

It also should include information on how your company’s organizational structure is organized, the status of specific projects, milestones you expect to reach and when, and the steps you’ll take to reach them.

See Related: Free Financial Advisors to Start Financial Planning

You’ll have briefly discussed the expertise of your management team as a whole. You want to provide details in your real estate investment business plan. Highlight the experience of each key team member, emphasizing how each member will help you reach your business goals.

If you feel your team lacks experience, consider assembling an advisory board of experienced real estate professionals and noting the board’s existence in this section.

Also, note if you plan to hire additional managers as your real estate investment business reaches certain milestones. List what experience and skills you’ll seek in your new hires.

Financial information is a significant component of a real estate investment business plan. Begin this section by specifying the source of your revenue as well as what drives your costs. If the purpose of your business plan is to receive funding, state the amount of funding you need and what you’ll use it for.

Then, include financial projections for your real estate investment property and business for the next five years. You’ll include several types of financial statements in your financial plan. In each statement, you’ll also include the assumptions you used to arrive at the projects.

Income Statement

The income statement (or profit and loss statement) shows the revenues minus the costs to show the amount of profit. To derive your revenue projections, you’ll need to assume a certain level of sales or number of rental units at a specific price.

Your costs would include maintenance, repair, or renovation costs, salaries and commissions, office rent (if any), marketing costs, and the cost of utilities and software. Do market research to base your assumptions on reality as much as possible.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is a snapshot of the assets and liabilities of your real estate investing business at a specific time. You’ll project assets, such as cash, real estate, and accounts receivables, for each of the five years. You’ll also project liabilities, such as debt and accounts payable. You’ll also launch the amount of equity for each of the five years.

Cash Flow Statements

The cash flow situation of a real estate investment business can significantly affect its success. Some businesses turn a profit but end up in bankruptcy because their cash flow is insufficient to pay bills when they are due.

For example, suppose a new commercial tenant requests a significant build-out. You’ll have to front the money to make the improvements and may not recoup it until the tenant has paid six months or more of rent. You may also have other expenses during that time.

If you have no other source of income, you could run out of money before you recoup your investment. Remember to list the assumptions that led you to project the cash flow as you did.

If potential funding sources will be scrutinizing your plan, add an appendix. The appendix might include all the documents related to your financial plans, such as leases and a potential exit strategy, as needed.

See Related: Best Green Companies to Invest in 2023

Writing a business plan requires considerable research and strategy skills. It also requires a significant time commitment. Templates help reduce the time you need to write your business plan.

Many types of organizations offer business plan templates that you can download for free, although you may have to leave your email. Here are free business plan templates for the real estate investor.

Growthink  is a consulting firm that helps companies develop business plans and raise capital. Its co-founders, Dave Lavinsky and Jay Turo, graduated from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and started Growthink to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. The company’s values are “Integrity,” “Courage,” and “Positivity.”

Lavinsky  has designed  a real estate investing business plan template that includes most of the key elements above. Lavinsky also provides advice on how to complete each section.

Fit Small Business  is an online publication to answer questions from small business owners across all industries. It has industry-specific experts and a management team that supports the experts. The company, founded in 2013, claims 80,000 readers.

The publication provides tips on how to write your vision and mission statement, complete your SWOT analysis, and choose an investing model. It also provides tips on measuring business success, writing a company summary, and developing a financial plan. Its business plan template is free and  downloadable.

Upmetrics  is a data analysis and data management software company. Its software is designed to help startups plan. Based in India, its software is used worldwide.

The company aims to help spark business growth, promote job creation, and help foster personal wealth. In addition to software, the company’s website offers several small business guides and resources.

The company provides 200 sample business plans across several industries, including  one  for a real estate investing business. It also explains the various sections of the plan and tips on completing the sections.

See Related: Best Real Estate Investment Websites

FortuneBuilders  teaches people how to invest in real estate through courses, coaching, books, and podcasts. Its four founders have considerable experience in the real estate investment market, having invested more than $1 billion in residential and commercial properties.

They still manage real estate projects, generally 25 to 40 at a time. They also provide additional information through their blogs.

FortuneBuilders  bases its  real estate investing business plan template around eight “must-haves,” including a mission statement, goals, strengths and weakness analysis, investment strategy for each property, marketing plan, management team bios, explanation of financing, and answers to “what if” questions. The introduction to its full business planning template also has excellent information to help you determine whether you are likely to succeed in the real estate investment business.

BusinessPlanTemplate.com  has over 250 customizable business plans for small businesses across many industries. Dave Lavinsky, also a co-founder of Growthink, founded BusinessPlanTemplate.com more than 20 years ago, and BusinessPlanTemplate.com is a subsidiary of Growthink.

The company claims to be a leading resource for business plan templates. In addition to templates, it includes advice on writing a business plan.

The company  template  for a real estate investment business is highly detailed, with more than a page on how to write each of the nine sections. It is also updated for 2023.

PlanBuildr  is another Growthink company founded by Dave Lavinsky, who serves as its president. The company’s management team has deep entrepreneurial experience. Lavinsky, a managing partner in several other entrepreneurial ventures, previously worked as a marketing consultant.

Jay Turo is the CEO. Turo works with Lavinsky in many of his other ventures. He has an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in international business.

The PlanBuildr real estate investment business plan template includes  sections  on the investment company’s success factors and most of the standard business plan sections. The customizable plan is also downloadable.

Real Estate Investing.org  aims to help families “replace their income with passive income.” The company claims to have more than 25,000 investors.

It has articles and stories to help real estate investors succeed. Its values include having an abundance mindset and always empowering others.

Founder Eric Bowlin is an experienced real estate investor who has managed a portfolio of 450 properties. Real Estate Investing.org’s business plan template provides extensive advice on successfully projecting financials.

It also provides some information on other sections of the  plan.  Although you can download a plan for free, the plan’s information includes a link to a business plan software solution that you purchase.

IncFile  helps small businesses manage the paperwork for forming or dissolving a new business or obtaining a trademark. The company also helps businesses develop an annual report and provides a free tax consultation.

It features a lot of information on business entity types. It claims to have more than 1 million customers.

IncFile’s blog contains several guides for startups, including a guide and template for a business plan for a real estate investment business. In addition to the more common sections of the business plan, it also  includes a section  on a backup business plan writing too. It links with a  template.

Carrot  is an online lead generation hub for real estate agents and investors. The company says its members convert leads at a rate of seven times that of nonmembers and earn a profit that is $14,000 greater on each lead.

Carrot also provides SEO and other tools to help real estate business owners market and run their businesses. CEO Trevor Mauch is an experienced real estate investor with expertise in inbound marketing.

Carrot also includes advice on how a real estate investment business can develop a business plan. Its  free template  includes an executive summary, business description, competitive analysis, building credibility section, and marketing strategy.

See Related: Ways to Start Investing in Apartment Buildings

More than 19,000 people have downloaded the Wiki Download real estate investment business template. Available in a PDF or Microsoft Word format, the 12-page document outlines the business plan and uses questions to take you through developing a simple real estate investment plan yourself.

Sections include the executive summary, market analysis, implementation plan (operations plan), marketing efforts, sales strategy, financial forecasts, and assumptions.

Truic  provides business services such as business organization, accounting, and business banking. It provides many of these services through partners and receives a referral commission.

It also provides classes on setting up a small business. The company is mainly focused on helping LLCs.

Truic offers many guides for small business owners; the real estate investment business template is one of those guides. Truic’s real estate business plan guide primarily aims at those who invest in and sell residential properties. Its  template  also differs slightly from others because it starts from the owner’s financial goals.

The owner decides how much they wish to earn, then defines the amount of revenue required, and then the number of houses that must be purchased. It also offers advice on tailoring your business plan to potential readers, including lenders and investors.

Property Geek’s  business plan template is aimed at property investment businesses. Rob Dix, a writer, founded Property Geek in 2012, and property soon became his life. He later launched Property Hub, which offers free courses and a YouTube channel, and created an investment app called Portfolio.

He also has written books and podcasts on property investment issues. He aims to make property investment fun. His website offers investment strategy, financing, property management software, and tax advice.

Property Geek’s real estate investment business plan development starts by determining goals. Then, you build a strategy to get from where you are now to the goal you hope to achieve.

Much of the strategy is developed around compensating for a lack of cash. The site offers a  free downloadable  business plan worksheet.

A business plan will help you succeed at any real estate investment endeavor, no matter the scale or time frame. Startups with plans are likelier to launch and grow than those without.

No, many companies in the real estate industry offer free worksheets and templates for real estate investment businesses. They also provide advice on writing the plan. Most real estate investors can complete the business plan with these resources. If you need additional advice, you can generally obtain it through the SBA or another nonprofit.

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Kyle Kroeger, esteemed Purdue University alum and accomplished finance professional, brings a decade of invaluable experience from diverse finance roles in both small and large firms. An astute investor himself, Kyle adeptly navigates the spheres of corporate and client-side finance, always guiding with a principal investor’s sharp acumen.

Hailing from a lineage of industrious Midwestern entrepreneurs and creatives, his business instincts are deeply ingrained. This background fuels his entrepreneurial spirit and underpins his commitment to responsible investment. As the Founder and Owner of The Impact Investor, Kyle fervently advocates for increased awareness of ethically invested funds, empowering individuals to make judicious investment decisions.

Striving to marry financial prudence with positive societal impact, Kyle imparts practical strategies for saving and investing, underlined by a robust ethos of conscientious capitalism. His ambition transcends personal gain, aiming instead to spark transformative global change through the power of responsible investment.

When not immersed in the world of finance, he’s continually captivated by the cultural richness of new cities, relishing the opportunity to learn from diverse societies. This passion for travel is eloquently documented on his site, ViaTravelers.com, where you can delve into his unique experiences via his author profile.

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How to Draft a Property Investment Business Plan

It’s easier to write a property investment business plan than you may think. However, it might be nerve-wracking to make your first road map to investing success. A real estate business can, of course, take many shapes and sizes, but this blueprint will help you launch yours with confidence. Your worries will be allayed, and you’ll be off to a terrific start.

How to Create a Real Estate Investment Business Plan: Nine Simple Steps

Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind as you put together your real estate investment business plan:

Envision the type of property investment business you want to be

Property investing is essentially a business, and, like any good business, it must have a mission statement outlining its core beliefs, priorities, and aspirations. This essential component will serve your real estate company well through both prosperous and challenging times.

Business growth, new hires, and employee motivation are all made possible by the foundation you lay with your vision. Study the goals of competing real estate investment firms. It’s best to get started by looking at firms whose values you already believe in and might wish to incorporate into your own business ethos.

Set down your short-term objectives

Think about the short-term goals that you have for your company, which will help guide you with the immediate steps you need to take. Setting even simple, manageable short-term goals helps keep you engaged and on track to attaining your larger objectives. Keep in mind that larger goals are constructed after smaller ones have been achieved.

Establishing some small, attainable objectives is a great way to sharpen your attention and get used to the satisfaction of crossing completed tasks off a list. Some examples include developing a financial plan, saving for a down payment, and investing for the first time. Lest we forget, business plans and other types of writing require a higher standard of attention than other types of writing because your future financial health depends on them.

Set down your mid-term and long-term goals

Long-term targets are an essential part of every successful real estate investing company’s plan. Finding the right indicators of success allows you to track development over time. If you are going off track, you will want to know about it to take effective remedial action. These are the lofty goals that might take a decade of hard work and dedication to achieve.

The things you hope to do in the far future may be more introspective and personal in nature. Among them is saving up for future expenses like family or tuition fees. Also, the motivations might be more business-like, such as amassing a huge real estate portfolio that any investor would be proud of.

Conduct a SWOT Analysis

Recognising your strengths and working to improve your weaknesses are both essential for career growth and, indeed, for personal growth too. To this end, you can develop a system to analyse your real estate firm’s performance and give you invaluable feedback. It’s possible to pinpoint areas for development in order to boost effectiveness and efficiency.

It’s useful for doing a SWOT analysis , which lets you evaluate the effectiveness of a given strategy. Genuine sincerity can help you spot potential problems and threats to your business. You can choose to handle them on your own, with your team, or by contracting with third parties.

Examine your current financial situation

How much do you have to work with when you are starting out investing? Can you reach your short-term objectives with your existing debt load and credit standing? All relevant factors must be taken into account while conducting a financial analysis. However, it’s not impossible to launch a company with very little capital if you are savvy about it.

At first, you may have to overcome certain obstacles. There is a broad spectrum of costs associated with real estate investments. This group consists of:

• The cost of closing
• Paying the utility bills
• Property management fees (not relevant if you go down the self-managing route)
• Regular upkeep and repair

Once you have a complete understanding of your situation, you can formulate a financial strategy that details how you intend to fulfil the prerequisites for each investment.

Market research

Intelligent investors closely monitor the market for the latest data on:

• Interest rate movements in the market
• Calculating vacancy rates
• Trends in the market
• Prices of property
• Which regions are currently up-and-coming and which ones are on the downward trend?

Business management and anticipating market changes can be gleaned from thorough market research . You can speed up the rate at which your real estate investing business grows if you choose investments that are smarter and better thought out.

Make a strategy for how you will proceed with your investments

A lower-risk, slow-moving strategy might be used to protect long-term investments. Or perhaps you’re interested in making a fast buck through the booming house-flipping sector. It’s possible you’re even considering that buying apartment buildings as a more profitable investment for your business than buying residential properties or perhaps commercial properties like office or retail space.

There is no “wrong” way to build your investing plan, so long as you have done your homework and are dedicated to reaching your short- and long-term objectives.

Be clear on your market strategy

In spite of the fact that many business owners view marketing as a nice-to-have rather than a necessary evil, it may really help you lay the groundwork for a successful business. Investing in your company’s brand, social media, and even basic advertising can help you get the word out about your real estate services and find new clients.

It’s worth always keeping in mind that your brand is much more than just a snazzy-looking logo; it can be used to zero in on your ideal customers, figure out how to best communicate with them, and build lasting, mutually beneficial bonds with them.

Have a contingency plan in mind

Despite how some impressions may shape our thinking, not all businesses are easy to manage and grow. It might look like you’re preparing for the worst by making a backup plan. Actually, this is not what we are talking about here with a contingency plan.

By planning for a backup plan, we are talking about a sensible exit strategy that will allow investors to reposition themselves if things don’t work out as intended. This way, investors can weather difficult market situations such as recessions and property bubbles with more preparation than if no thought had been given to them.

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Home     expert insights     paul wilson     Exclusive: an insight into my Property Investment Business Plan

Exclusive: an insight into my Property Investment Business Plan

By Paul Wilson

Published 28 Dec, 2014

In order to make smart, rational and informed financial decisions you need to plan ahead and take all of the variables into consideration, now and for in the future.

Behind every successful business and investor is a creative, well-thought out and strategic business plan. As an investor and a property coach, I suggest you do the same.

Ideally, you should have one Plan per property, and a Master Plan for your portfolio.

• Under normal trading times
• In a falling market
• In a rising market

I hope these few insights into my Property Investment Business Plan have given new life to your existing properties, and set up the framework for future investment planning.

What do you include in your Plan? Share your knowledge below to help fellow investors.

Read more expert advice articles by Paul

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Paul Wilson is an Independent Property Investing Expert and the founder of We Find Houses, Educating Property Investors & We Find Finance. Paul has been educating and coaching investors since 2001. Paul provides valuable, independent guidance and support by teaching strategies on how you can invest successfully while protecting yourself from commission hungry sales agents and property spruikers. 

Read more articles by Paul Wilson

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The private credit market in Australia has grown exponentially over recent years, with some estimates putting the total value of private credit investments in Australia at close to $200 billion. Globally, the figure could be about $1.5 trillion. 

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• Sample Business Plans
• Real Estate & Rentals

Property Management Business Plan

People buy multiple properties these days, it can be for investment or to act as a future home, office space, some dream project, or whatnot.

And as they have so many properties, they’ll surely need someone to manage them and deal with all aspects of having a property. Also, most people are running short of time more often than not. Hence, they hire property managers to help them deal with their property efficiently and effectively.

So, it comes as no surprise that the property management business is growing. And if you are planning to get into it, all you need is a few tips and a property management business plan.

If you are planning to start a new property management business, the first thing you will need is a business plan. Use our sample property management business plan  to start writing your business plan in no time.

Before you start writing your business plan for your new property management business, spend as much time as you can reading through some examples of real estate-related business plans .

Industry Overview

The global property management market stood at a whopping market value of 13.88 billion US dollars in 2020 and isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.

The major reason for the growth in this industry is the requirement for mobility management as companies are promoting remote work due to the pandemic.

The other factors that have affected the property market are the adoption of technology, software services, and other such things which have brought about a change in trends in the real estate market.

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Things to Consider Before Writing a Property Management Business Plan

Build relevant skills.

Having skills relevant to your business, be it foundational skills for managing property soft skills for dealing with the people in your business, or the deals and exchanges aspect of your business would always act as an added advantage for you. Hence, before getting started, it would be good to develop some basic skills and have a method to keep updating them as you work. Your skills alone can also become your business’s unique selling point.

Join Associations and Build Your Network

Networking is a crucial aspect in every field related to real estate, hence it is essential for your property management business too. Your network should be good and diverse and consist of a variety of people, even if they are your competitors. You’ll never know who might get you your next deal.

You can easily do so by building strong connections and joining relevant associations which give you more opportunities to network.

Use Technology

We owe the speed and efficiency of our work to technology. The same holds for the property management business too. You no longer need to work traditionally and laboriously of managing your properties, and use technology instead to make your work of maintaining all those details easier and more organized.

Build your Website

Building your website early gives you a head start on promoting your business and makes reaching out to your potential clients easier. Hence, if you plan on starting a business, build your website today to help you promote as much as you can.

Chalking out Your Business Plan

Reading sample business plans will give you a good idea of what you’re aiming for and also it will show you the different sections that different entrepreneurs include and the language they use to write about themselves and their business plans.

We have created this sample property management business plan for you to get a good idea about how perfect a property management business plan should look and what details you will need to include in your stunning business plan.

Property Management Business Plan Outline

This is the standard property management business plan outline which will cover all important sections that you should include in your business plan.

• Mission statement
• Vision Statement
• Customer Focus
• Success Factors
• Financial Summary
• 3 Year profit forecast
• Business Structure
• Startup cost
• Products and services
• Market Analysis
• Industry Analysis
• Market Trends
• Target Market
• SWOT Analysis
• Targeted Cold Calls
• Online Marketing
• Publications
• Community Events/Organizations
• Pricing Strategy
• Financial Plan
• Important Assumptions
• Brake-even Analysis
• Profit Yearly
• Gross Margin Yearly
• Projected Cash Flow
• Projected Balance Sheet
• Business Ratios

After getting started with Upmetrics , you can copy this sample property management business plan into your business plan and modify the required information and download your property management business plan pdf or doc file.

It’s the fastest and easiest way to start writing your business plan.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

Download a sample property management business plan

Need help writing your business plan from scratch? Here you go;  download our free property management business plan pdf  to start.

It’s a modern business plan template specifically designed for your property management business. Use the example business plan as a guide for writing your own.

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About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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Property Management Business Plan PDF Example

• February 28, 2024
• Business Plan

Creating a comprehensive business plan is crucial for launching and running a successful property management business. This plan serves as your roadmap, detailing your vision, operational strategies, and financial plan. It helps establish your property management business’s identity, navigate the competitive market, and secure funding for growth.

This article not only breaks down the critical components of a property management business plan, but also provides an example of a business plan to help you craft your own.

Whether you’re an experienced entrepreneur or new to the real estate industry, this guide, complete with a business plan example, lays the groundwork for turning your property management business concept into reality. Let’s dive in!

Our property management business plan is designed to cover all essential aspects needed for a comprehensive strategy. It outlines the property management operations, marketing strategy , market environment, competitors, management team, and financial forecasts.

• Executive Summary : Offers an overview of the property management business concept, market analysis , management, and financial strategy.
• Services & Fees: Details the range of property management services offered, including tenant placement, maintenance coordination, and financial administration, along with a clear breakdown of the fee structure for each service.
• Key Stats: Shares industry size , growth trends, and relevant statistics for the property management market.
• Key Trends: Highlights recent trends affecting the property management sector, such as technological advancements and urbanization.
• Key Competitors : Analyzes main competitors in the area and how the business differentiates from them in terms of service quality and technological innovation.
• SWOT: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis.
• Marketing Plan : Strategies for promoting the property management services to attract and retain property owners and investors.
• Timeline : Key milestones and objectives from start-up through the first year of operation.
• Management: Information on who manages the property management business and their roles.
• Financial Plan: Projects the business’s financial performance, including revenue, profits, and expected expenses.

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Property Management Business Plan

Fully editable 30+ slides Powerpoint presentation business plan template.

Download an expert-built 30+ slides Powerpoint business plan template

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Executive Summary

The Executive Summary introduces your property management business plan, providing a succinct overview of your company and its services. It should detail your market positioning, the range of property management services you offer, including residential, commercial, or specialized properties you manage, its location, size, and an outline of day-to-day operations.

This section should also discuss how your property management business will integrate into the local real estate market, including the number of direct competitors within the area, identifying who they are, along with your company’s unique selling points that differentiate it from these competitors. This could include specialized services, exceptional customer service, innovative technology use, or strong community ties.

Furthermore, you should include information about the management and co-founding team, detailing their roles and contributions to the company’s success. Experience in real estate, business management, or specific property management skills could be highlighted here.

Additionally, a summary of your financial projections, including revenue and profits over the next five years, should be presented here to provide a clear picture of your company’s financial plan. This may include growth strategies, potential market expansion, and plans for scaling operations to meet market demands.

Make sure to cover here _ Business Overview _ Market Overview _ Management Team _ Financial Plan

Dive deeper into Executive Summary

Business Overview

Detail the range of property management services offered, from tenant screening and leasing to maintenance, repairs, and financial reporting. Outline your pricing strategy , ensuring it reflects the quality and comprehensiveness of services provided and aligns with the market you’re targeting.

Highlight any value-added services, such as 24/7 emergency response, online tenant and owner portals, or energy efficiency programs, that differentiate your business from competitors, encouraging long-term contracts and client loyalty.

Market Overview

Industry size & growth.

In the Market Overview of your property management business plan, start by examining the size of the property management industry and its growth potential.

This analysis is crucial for understanding the market’s scope and identifying expansion opportunities, such as emerging real estate markets, shifts in residential and commercial property ownership, and the increasing demand for professional property management services due to the complexity of managing properties.

Key market trends

Proceed to discuss recent market trends , such as the growing importance of technology in property management, including the use of property management software for efficiency, the rise of smart home technology in residential properties, and the emphasis on sustainable and green building practices.

For example, highlight the demand for services that cater to energy-efficient buildings, the integration of smart home devices in property management, and the increasing expectation for online tenant services and communications.

Key competitors

Then, consider the competitive landscape, which includes a range of property management companies from large national firms to local boutique agencies, as well as self-managed properties by owners.

For example, emphasize what makes your business distinctive, whether it’s through superior customer service, innovative use of technology, specialized services for certain types of properties (like luxury residential, commercial, or vacation rentals), or a strong focus on community and tenant relations.

Make sure to cover here _ Industry size & growth _ Key market trends _ Key competitors

Dive deeper into Key competitors

First, conduct a SWOT analysis for the property management business, highlighting Strengths (such as experienced management team and comprehensive property management solutions), Weaknesses (including potential scalability issues or limited market presence), Opportunities (for example, expanding real estate markets and increasing demand for rental properties), and Threats (such as regulatory changes affecting property management or economic factors impacting real estate investments).

Marketing Plan

Next, develop a marketing strategy that outlines how to attract and retain property owners and investors through targeted advertising, competitive service offerings, an engaging online presence, and involvement in local real estate communities. Focus on demonstrating your company’s value proposition , such as reducing property owners’ operational burdens, maximizing rental income, and maintaining high tenant satisfaction levels.

Finally, create a detailed timeline that outlines critical milestones for the property management business’s establishment, marketing initiatives, client portfolio growth, and service expansion objectives. This timeline should ensure the business progresses with clear direction and purpose, setting achievable goals for short-term wins and long-term growth.

Make sure to cover here _ SWOT _ Marketing Plan _ Timeline

Dive deeper into SWOT

Dive deeper into Marketing Plan

The Management section focuses on the property management business’s management and their direct roles in daily operations and strategic direction. This part is crucial for understanding who is responsible for making key decisions and driving the property management business towards its financial and operational goals.

For your property management business plan, list the core team members, their specific responsibilities, and how their expertise supports the business.

Financial Plan

The Financial Plan section is a comprehensive analysis of your financial projections for revenue, expenses, and profitability. It lays out your property management business’s approach to securing funding, managing cash flow, and achieving breakeven.

This section typically includes detailed forecasts for the first 5 years of operation, highlighting expected revenue, operating costs and capital expenditures.

For your property management business plan, provide a snapshot of your financial statement (profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow statement), as well as your key assumptions (e.g. number of customers and prices, expenses, etc.).

Make sure to cover here _ Profit and Loss _ Cash Flow Statement _ Balance Sheet _ Use of Funds

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8+ SAMPLE Property Investment Plan in PDF

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A financially independent property investor shares 2 low-risk strategies to get into real estate on a budget

• Whitney Elkins-Hutten shares low-risk real estate strategies for rookie investors.
• Elkins-Hutten, now financially free, quit her job in 2019 to invest in real estate full-time.
• She recommends house hacking and live-in flipping to offset costs and build capital.

After a decadeslong real-estate investing career and various strategy shifts , Whitney Elkins-Hutten considers herself financially free.

The Boulder-based investor, who says she had 36 single-family homes at the peak of her long-term rental business, quit her day job in 2019 to invest in real estate full-time. As of 2024, she primarily does partnerships on bigger deals. She also runs a financial education company and is the author of " Money for Tomorrow ."

The real-estate maven shared two low-risk, low-cost strategies for rookie investors looking to test their interest before diving head-first into property investment.

1. House hack

A popular beginner-friendly strategy known as "house hacking" involves renting out a portion of your home to offset your mortgage.

"Buy a house and rent out the rooms to roommates, or buy a duplex and rent out the other side," explained Elkins-Hutten.

It's cost-effective for two main reasons: One, since you're living in the property and it's considered a principal residence, you may qualify for an FHA loan. This is a government-backed mortgage that allows down payments as low as 3.5% and comes with a more lenient credit score standard. One of the requirements is that the loan must be for a primary residence — not a vacation home or an investment property (unless you live in one of the units).

A small down payment can lower your upfront costs significantly, especially if you live in a pricey market. House-hacking can also lower your monthly housing payment — or even completely eliminate it depending on how much rent you have coming in from your tenant(s).

If you don't want to share a space or a wall with roommates, another option is buying a house with an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) or a mother-in-law cottage that you could rent, said Elkins-Hutten, noting that: "In some towns, like here in Boulder, they're actually incentivizing people to put ADUs on the property. I know many towns along the West Coast have proposals for high-density housing where they want you to build ADUs on your property ."

2. Buy below value, renovate, and avoid tax on the sale through the 121 Exclusion

Another option for rookie investors who want more privacy is " live-in flipping ." Elkins-Hutten used this strategy early in her career to acquire enough capital to start buying long-term rentals, which ultimately led to her financial independence .

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"If you're just like, I don't want anybody else on my property but me, then that's where I think the buying a single-family home, trying to force the value on the property as much as you possibly can, and then selling the property and keeping as much money tax free through the 121 Exclusion is a good option."

That's essentially what Elkins-Hutten did: She'd buy a property "that needs love," she said, and renovate the home to "force the appreciation on the property."

She'd live in the property while renovating it for at least two years in order to capitalize on an IRS rule known as the Section 121 Exclusion. This lets taxpayers exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a couple filing jointly) of the gain from the sale if they've used the home as a primary residence for at least two of the five years preceding the sale.

"It's great for people that don't have a whole lot of money to get started because you could get a first-time home buyers loan and go in at 3% down or 5% down on a property to start off," she said.

"When somebody tells me they can't get started in real estate, their obstacle is usually something else: lack of motivation, lack of perseverance, or lack of creativity and resourcefulness. There are so many ways to get started in real estate."

Watch: Was Italy's $1 home scheme worth it?

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