Real Estate Investor's Lockbox Strategy

How do "ordinary" people get rich in real estate?

They buy 4 or 5 single family homes and hold them until they double in value.

But wait! This article is not about getting rich... this is about you who already have an awesome gain in real estate wealth.

If during the past few years you bought rental homes in or near Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas or many other cities... you probably have a mountain of wealth hiding in those properties.

In many areas home values have more than doubled in the last 5 years making you "ordinary" people rather wealthy.

Gaining wealth is Part #1 of the success formula. Part #2 is what too many people fail to work into their plan....

"Hold on to what you've earned!"

All you investors who have fat profits probably should be planning on moving into a defensive position, right now.

If you own 5 homes each valued at $150,000 when you gained control of them... and each is now worth $300,000... you have over $750,000.00 exposed to the current dangers of the real estate market.

You were smart and you bought low... now it's time to sell high... or at least protect those huge profits.

Real estate values go in cycles. Historically unusually rapid and sustained appreciation is followed by substantial price depreciation. In other words... what goes up comes down.

Experience reminds us that the real estate cycle often tops with a violent shakeout. At that point your gain vanishes. Everyone is dumping property and there are darn few buyers.

But hold on... you know enough not to SELL your property!

When you have a big real estate gain selling is profit suicide, because your partner Uncle Sam, grabs a third of your gain. Just thinking about that makes me feel faint.

Your best weapon is probably a 1031 exchange. Move your investment to another area that is just beginning a pattern of growth... or into a different class of property that has a more stable price history.

If you've had enough or property management you might want to exchange into a Tenant-In-Common (TIC) structured real estate investment. They can be a very attractive investment for your gains.

Not room to explain TIC deals now. You can learn more by doing a Google Search for "TIC".

Don't let that new wealth evaporate. Take a tip from a former presidential candidate and put it into "a lockbox".

About the author: Mark Walters is an investor-entrepreneur helping other investors from his Web pages at http://www.Lease-Option-S ub2.com