As The Market Improves, Warren Buffett Says Buy Houses

We have seen many positive reports and predictions for the American housing market so far in 2012. Both nationwide and locally we continue to see positive signs of recovery and a slow but steady climb towards market stability. Some markets are seeing values rise as inventory decreases.

In an interview earlier in the year Warren Buffett praises owning homes as an investment, saying “Well, if I thought I was going to live, if I knew where I was going to want to live the next five or ten years, I would buy a home and I’d finance it with a 30-year mortgage, it’s a terrific deal. And if, literally, if I was an investor that was a handy type, which I’m not, and I could buy a couple of them at distressed prices and find renters, and again take a 30-year mortgage, it’s a leveraged way of owning a very cheap asset now and I think that’s probably as  attractive an investment as you can make now.”

Buffett also said “If I had a way of buying a couple hundred thousand single-family homes and had a way of managing—the management is enormous—is really the problem because they’re one by one. They’re not like apartment houses. But I would load up on them and I would take mortgages out at very, very low rates.”

Though most of us are not looking to purchase “a couple hundred thousand” homes, with interest rates at all time lows, it is a great time to consider adding investment homes to your portfolio. Mr. Buffett touches on the challenges of the management of investment properties, however, in the Smoky Mountain real estate market there are several options for handling the day to day care of your property. As this is a prime vacation spot, a large number of properties are used as overnight rentals which opens the door to not only making a great investment but also having a Smoky Mountain get away of your own. If you prefer a more hands on approach many investors in the area have had success with using online marketing tools and handling the rental and management of their properties themselves. With this option you may also consider the use of a company such as Smoky Mountain Homes Not Alone, which offers customized care plans for absentee owners. They work both with homes that are vacation rentals by owner and second homes that are not used as rental. They offer a wide variety of services from cleaning and maintenance to just stopping by to open the windows and make sure everything is in order. If you prefer to be less involved there are a number of vacation rental management companies in the area that will handle the daily details and offer a wide variety of services. Our team has great relationships with these companies and we will assist you in identifying the management solution that will be a fit for your investment goals.

The Smoky Mountain real estate market offers a wide variety of choices in investment properties. Why not take a look at our website to see all that is available? If you see a property that looks like it has potential to add to your investments, let us know, we are here to help you obtain additional information about rental income history, market statistics and monthly expenses.

Here Are A Few Of My Featured Investment Properties:

Private Chalet Minutes To Downtown Produced $23,207 rental income for 2010 & right at $20,000 for 2011! Great location only a mile from the 441 Parkway and about 1.5 miles to downtown Gatlinburg. Type: Single Family Home Location: Chalet Village Price: $189,900 Get more information >

 

Close To Downtown Well over $30k rental income in both 2010 & 2011! Well built cabin in excellent condition within the city limits of Gatlinburg. Type: Single Family Home Location: Gatlinburg ,Tennessee Price: $289,900 Get more information >

 

A View From Above Did over $94K in rental income for 2010 & over $97K in 2011!!! Outstanding view of Mt LeConte in Smokies, with 5 master suites, media room, close to Gatlinburg, ski resort and National Park! Fully furnished! Type: Single Family Home Location: Gatlinburg ,Tennessee Price: $699,900 Get more information >