For some, retirement is something they’ve planned for from a very young age, and their plans have no detours. For others, life has changed here and there along with their retirement plans. Either way, considering real estate investment as a retirement plan is a realistic and viable option. In this article, we’ll discuss the different ways of investing in real estate and how they can help during the retirement years. First, let’s talk about whether or not real estate investing is a good fit for you.

Is Real Estate Investment Right for You?

Real estate investing requires money in the beginning, but it isn’t always in the form of thousands of dollars or all of the cash amount. Options include loans, home equity, and group investments, or you could begin with a small investment and wait for it to grow.

If you’re deep in debt, pay it off before investing in real estate. All investments have some risk and being free of debt makes the risk smaller.

Choosing the Right Real Estate Investment

Once you feel real estate investment is for you, it’s time to decide on which type. There are three common ways to invest in real estate as a retirement plan. They are listed below.

Buy Rental Property

Purchasing a rental property is the form of real estate investment most of us are familiar with. In this case, a property or properties are bought by the investor and then rented out to tenants. During retirement, this creates a nice flow of extra or full-time income.

When researching real estate rental investments, it’s important to calculate the Internal Rate of Return (IRR), as this will show you an approximation of how much you’ll make from the property each year. Understanding IRR helps an investor see if the rental investment is worth it in the long run.

Flip Houses

House flipping is the method of purchasing a run-down home at a low price, renovating it, and then using it as a rental or selling it at a higher price. House flipping is a great option if you’re able to do a lot of the work yourself or have an established team with whom you can work.

Invest in REIT

When investing in a REIT, you don’t actually purchase property—you invest in a company that owns and operates properties, and you earn a share of those profits according to how much you invest. Like all investments, they have a bit of risk as decisions are out of your hands and real estate markets ebb and flow. Still, REITs can be profitable and require little work on the investor’s end.

Hopefully, we’ve your understanding of real estate has increased after reading these ideas. There are many ways to plan for retirement, and real estate investment is one of the best since it has great flexibility and a chance to grow wealth quickly.