1. Investment Property
What exactly is an investment property? Since this is real estate investments 101, we will explain. An investment property is a piece of real estate you invest in with the objective of earning a return. Primary residences are not considered investment properties because the primary purpose of such real estate is to provide a place to live. Common investment properties include rental homes, apartments, condos, townhouses as well as commercial properties such as business or industrial parks and shopping centers.
2. Depreciation
Depreciation is a fancy business way of saying something is decreasing in value. Investment properties may experience depreciation, because typically as a building ages the value of the physical building depreciates. It is important to note the actual depreciation realized is related specifically to the value of the physical building. Historically, real estate prices seem to follow a positive trend. How can this be if old buildings have experienced severe depreciation and thus are worth less today than 20 years ago? We must look at the whole equation. The value of the land is integrated into the equation as...