Think through the advantages and disadvantages of using real estate to fund your retirement years.
Investing in real estate is one of many ways to set aside funds for retirement. If you are looking to diversify your savings, you might consider including real estate in your retirement plan. There are advantages and disadvantages that come with property investments, along with different options to consider.
Including real estate in your retirement plan might consist of:
- Selling your home.
- Owning a rental property.
- Purchasing and selling property.
- Contributing to a real estate fund.
Read on to learn more about what to expect if you include real estate in your retirement plan.
Sell Your Home to Help Fund Retirement
If you have paid off the mortgage for your current home, you could sell it in retirement to bring in cash. You could then use the proceeds from the sale to fund part of your retirement lifestyle or invest the funds to generate future returns. You might rent an apartment or purchase a smaller place that requires less maintenance to reduce your living expenses.
Before putting your home up for sale, it’s worth researching the real estate market both where you currently live and in the new location. “In some circumstances, downsizing square footage may still end up costing the same, depending on the location of the new home.
A Rental Property Can Generate Retirement Income
Purchasing a second property in the city where you live or own a place in a popular vacation spot can help generate income to use in retirement. You could buy an apartment, lease it to tenants and collect monthly rent. If you buy a cabin in the mountains, you could use it as a getaway and rent it to others when you are not using it.
A drawback of owning and renting property is that the investment is typically not very liquid, meaning if you have a financial emergency, it might not be possible to sell the place quickly and receive cash when it is needed. Even if you sell, you might not get the best price if the market prices are lower than normal in that area.
Buy and Sell Multiple Properties
If you live in an area where housing prices are expected to rise, you might be interested in purchasing multiple homes with the plan of selling them later for a higher price. You could also acquire several properties that you rent to tenants. As your income goes up, you could build a real estate portfolio that could help fund retirement.
While owning properties may help your retirement funds increase, there is often a vast amount of legwork involved with finding places, acquiring them, making needed repairs or renovations, and then renting or selling them. The time requirement is typically much more demanding than what’s needed for other types of investments.