Is Multifamily Property the Right Investment Option for you?

The trend of multifamily property investment has drastically increased in the US over the past few years. Although, there are several advantages of buying a multifamily property but it might not be the right investment decision for everyone. Before you finally enter the multifamily property market, it is necessary that you know it inside out.

What is a Multifamily House?
A multifamily property has several residential units, each inhabited by individuals of the house or the tenants. It can be a property with multiple buildings or one building in the same complex. Apartments, duplex houses, townhouses and condominiums are the examples of multifamily property. When you decide to buy a multifamily property, you need to be sure about the type of house that would fit into your requirements. You can seek help of a multifamily housing contractor to finalize the type of property that you want and how much repair cost you need to incur to renovate the property.

Is Multifamily House Right for You?
Investing in a multifamily property  may work well for you, especially when:

You are not ready to take risks
Although there's no proof that it’s 100 percent safe to invest in multifamily properties but there's always lesser risk attached to them. It might be difficult for a single family house owner to find a tenant at a short notice, which means there will be no income for the time the property remains vacant. If you own a multifamily property, you get at least certain fixed amount from other tenants even if a few units are unoccupied for some time.

You want to live in a house yet make profit by renting it
At times, owners are prefer to live in the multi family property to look after its maintenance and any other related job on a regular basis. If you rent out a single family house, regular maintenance and look after gets difficult. The owner of a multifamily property can decide if he wants to live in one of the units and take care of the property himself.

You want to have a building with its own culture
When we have people living in the same complex and the responsibility of taking care of the property, we are free to introduce a specific culture in the community. For example, if you support an environment friendly atmosphere, you can install solar panels and other energy efficient products in the units. In addition to this, you can motivate the tenants to be a part of the drive.

A Multifamily House Isn't a Good Choice When:

• You don't have ample time to spend on administering the property and taking care of it.
• You want a real estate investment with high appreciation value. A single family house has better appreciation over the multifamily one because it has more demand in the market.
• You are not interested in a complex financing option because purchasing a multifamily house means more money and approvals involved.

Investing in a multifamily property is a great option from the perspective of future benefit. It is, however, always a better idea to research about a property, figure out if you actually need it and then come to a conclusion. A well thought investment pays better in the long run.

Federal Investment Tax Credit-A Brief Guide for Multifamily Owners

All You Need to Know About Federal Investment Tax Credit

The Federal Investment Tax Credit is arguably the most significant solar policy in the U.S. Whether we talk about individual homeowners or nationwide multifamily contractors, the Federal Investment tax credit has managed to attract everybody's attention. Since its implementation, the 30 percent tax credit has spurred an annual growth of 1,600 percent in the adoption of solar energy. The tax credit, however, is set to expire on December 31, 2016, which will eventually impact all rebates provisioned to property owners.

In this post, we will delve into the finer aspects of Federal Investment Tax Credit and how it works.

Federal Investment Tax Credit: Introduction
Introduced in 2005, the Federal Tax Credit for residential energy property was initially applied to social electric systems, fuel cells and solar water heating systems. In 2008, however, the tax credit was extended to geothermal pumps and wind-energy systems. The tax credit allows homeowners to claim up to 30 percent of the price that they have paid to install such systems in their property. The intention behind the introduction of the credit was to promote the use of renewable source of energy. As there is no credit limit, it  means homeowners are free spend as much as they want to minimize the carbon footprints of their property.

How Federal Investment Tax Credit Works
Property owners need to file their Federal taxes to claim a 30 percent refund of the qualified expenditures on renewable energy system installations. Those who owe Federal tax, will either:

1. Owe less
2. Owe nothing
3. Owe nothing but will have a credit leftover

To understand these three scenarios, let us consider the following examples:

A home owner Sam installed a solar system worth $30,000 in his house, which makes him qualify for a $9,000 Federal tax credit.

Scenario 1 - When Sam owes less
When April arrives, Sam files his tax and asks for the 30 percent credit. He comes to know that he owes $10,000 in taxes, so he deducts $9,000 tax credit and files for the remaining $1,000 that he owes.

Scenario 2 - When Sam owes nothing
Sam notifies his employer that he is entitled to a tax credit of $9,000 for the financial year. The employer adjusts Sam's withholdings so that he can take more money in the salary part. In this scenario, Sam will be required to apply $9,000 tax credit to his tax bill in April.

Scenario 3 - When Sam owes nothing but has a credit leftover
If Sam owns only $1,000 in taxes, his tax credit will cover the amount and the remaining $8,000 will be rolled over to the succeeding taxable year.

Solar tax credit is definitely a beneficial proposition for property owners as it results in substantial savings in the long run. Moreover, it increases the market value of the property. As there are no signs of an extension on the Federal Investment Tax credit, those planning to introduce energy efficient mediums in their property do not have much time to lose. Should you wish to learn more about the benefits of renewable energy systems for multifamily property owners, feel free to connect with our team of consultants.

Modern trends of multi-family housing

Whether it’s young couples, single parents, factory workers or students, everyone is choosing apartments over individual houses. Lower cost of maintenance, availability of various amenities and have made apartments a preferred choice among renters.  The increase in demands for apartments has opened gates for multifamily property owners, all of whom understand that they need the assistance of multifamily development company renovations. With the increase in quest for urban lifestyle, multifamily building owners need to concentrate on providing some modern amenities to get better returns on their investment. Here are some of the modern amenities that a multi family property can have to get better returns on their investment.

Outdoor kitchen
Food is not something people eat just to get by anymore. It is something they like to celebrate and treat as a central element of parties. Outdoor kitchens and grill can prove to be an added advantage that can provide you with better returns on your investment. Every multifamily building, however, may not offer an outdoor kitchen, giving the new and emerging ones, a chance to state their claim.

Media room
Constructing a community media room, which may double as a business center, is another additional facility that may be available at modern multifamily facility. As the entrepreneurial spirit catches on, there is a businessman in every second home and they would love the idea of a media room. In addition to this, modern community living may demand movie screenings, etc., for which, media rooms, are also a necessity.

Gym centers
An amenity that has undergone drastic change is the fitness center. People are more conscious about how they look and time too is of the essence for most of them. In addition to this, fitness center is not just a place to exercise, but it is a place where people gather and socialize. Conducting classes for aerobics, yoga, cardio and strength training has become much in vogue among multi family properties.

Laundry rooms
Laundry rooms are by no means a modern facility in multifamily buildings. If you wish to make the ones in yours stand out, try and dedicate sufficient amount of space to laundry rooms and equip them with the latest machines. Of course, the more laundry machines you’d manage to install, the better it would be for your property.

So, those were some additional amenities that people ask for in multi-family buildings. In a world, where people expect private and community living to come together harmoniously, an affordable multifamily housing renovation contractor can ensure that you get better return on your investment by providing some latest amenities that are preferred by tenants.

Enhance the Exterior Appeal of Multifamily Properties

When we talk about affordable housing, interior units’ design and exterior appearance of the multifamily property matters a lot. This makes it necessary for multifamily property owners to make the right choice in terms of hiring a renovation expert to enhance the curb appeal of the house. The first thing that renters notice in a property is its color palette. You can redefine the property shade and increase its value by coloring it with the right shade.

Multifamily property owners need to understand that painting or repainting the property provides them with an opportunity to redefine their housing units. The right color palette improves the curb appeal, attracts renters and boosts value and ROI of the property.

Here are some color tips you may follow to make your property stand out:

What Are your Color Goals?
You may paint the exteriors of the property so that it can be in-tune with the latest trend or match the style of the new roof. Before you change the color palette, you need to consider following factors:

·     A sleek, modern high-rise multifamily property looks appealing with an urban palette
·     Decide the color based on whether you want the property to blend in or contrast from the neighborhood
·     The color of the roof and trim (which are the fixed accents) can be used as base or accent colors
·     Go for urban, contemporary palettes if you want to attract younger tenants.

Explore Color
Once you have identified color goals, choosing colors becomes easier. You can use digital color tools to mix and match the color in order to find out the combination looks better.

There are certain tools available on the Internet that may help you shortlist the colors. Upload the exterior picture of the property on the tool and choose a color palette you have shortlisted to see how it will look in real. You can try out different color combinations and refine the choice.

Search for a Professional
Once you have shortlisted the color palette, the next step is to look for a professional to do the job. Instead of hiring the first company that you came across, it is recommended to do some research and get in touch with an expert who deals into multifamily properties renovation services.

Multifamily property owners may also seek the assistance of the renovation expert to choose the color palette and go ahead with the work. An advice from the expert will definitely help the owners in taking a better decision.