Tuesday, 16 August 2011

Property Investment and How Real Estate Analysis Software Can Make Things Easier

By John Bone


Whether you are a current real estate investor or looking to enter the investment property marketplace there are several questions that you should ask before making a decision on purchasing or selling a specific property.

Seasoned real estate investors know that investing requires the acquisition of a lot of financial data and a great deal of research. It can be tedious to gather important data and then analyse it all 'by hand'.

Property Feasibility Software Can Help

Here is where the employment of property analysis computer software can bemuch help to the investor. Having this kind of software can make the process of property analysis as straightforward as entering your carefully acquired information and have the programme do all the work.

It is not just the investor who will find the results generated by property analysis software useful. Individual investors, real estate agents, lenders banks, accountants, and even appraisers can use this kind of programme to quickly provide details that is vital to helping them make good decisions about investment property. A complete software program can offer an analysis of financial information on single-family residential rentals, duplexes, apartments, office buildings, warehousing and even empty lots.

Information the Software Can Offer

One of the most significant pieces of information these programs can offer is a cash flow and a rate of return prediction. When you enter the necessary details into the software it will show whether you might expect a positive cash flow. The software can offer the same information on property you already own, and let you decide that it might be an excellent time to sell.

Real estate analysis software can also help you choose how much rent to charge tenants. Based on the data you input, the software will tell you what you need to charge so as to have a lucrative return. The software should also assist you in deciding the best bid to make on a property you have an interest in buying.

What to Look For

There are a couple of things that you are going to require the program to do. Like any software, some are very affordable and provide just the basics, while others have all the bells and whistles. Do some comparison-shopping on the Web and find a programme that fits your requirements. Most investors will find they fit somewhere in between the basic and the fancy programs. Try and avoid paying for features you won't use.

Here are some of the features you might want to look for:

- Forecasts cash flow and rate of return for each and every year.
- Provides data on how much rent to charge so you'll earn a profit.
- Offers calculations on what to pay when interested in purchasing a rental property.
- Analyses commercial properties, residential blocks, and single-family rental property.
- Shows how capital improvements can affect cash flow and bottom line.
- Handles state and federal taxes (very important).
- Offers analysis of future wealth and net worth.
- Offers analysis on growth of earnings, likely increases in future costs, and capitalization rate.
- Provides an executive outline that compares multiple properties.
- Offers the power to enter information on more than one loan.
- Allows for modelling based on property location.
- Handles partnerships.

The bulk of these software developers offer programmes that are easy to utilize whether or not you are a seasoned property investor or a beginner. The software can provide the information, but you need to still use it properly. Remember: the output can only ever be as good as the quality of the input! The quality of the information you input must be high, so be careful to do your required groundwork and in depth research.




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