How Much of My Portfolio Should I Invest in Real Estate? | Invest.net (2024)

Many people know that real estate can generate great returns but don’t know how much of their portfolio they should allocate toward this lucrative asset class. After all, traditional investing advice tends to focus only on stocks and bonds.

So in this article, we’ll dive into what an appropriate asset allocation looks like when it comes to real estate (especially single-family homes) and more.

Contents

  • Factors to Consider During Asset Allocation
  • How Much the Wealthy Allocate Toward Real Estate
  • Benefits of Investing in (Single-Family) Real Estate
  • Start Investing in Single-Family Real Estate

Factors to Consider During Asset Allocation

First, it’s important to clarify that we are not counting your primary residence as part of your investment portfolio. Though your home can appreciate in value, its main purpose is to provide utility (i.e. shelter) now. For that reason, you should exclude your primary residence from any asset allocation calculations.

How Much of My Portfolio Should I Invest in Real Estate? | Invest.net (1)

A typical financial advisor asset allocation of stocks, bonds and cash, sans real estate.

Your investment portfolio can include stocks, bonds, commercial real estate, single family real estate and other alternative investments like private equity, hedge funds, venture capital, art, and collectibles.

How much of each asset class makes up in your overall portfolio depends on many factors, including your risk tolerance, time horizon, target retirement date, and more. It also depends on what your short- and long-term investing goals are in the first place.

So there is not one “right” answer to how much of your portfolio you should invest in real estate. However, there are some guidelines that may help.

How Much the Wealthy Allocate Toward Real Estate

Investing expert Barbara Friedberg says a real estate allocation of 5% to 10% is a good rule of thumb since real estate is an alternative asset class.

At the same time, private equity and real estate investor and serial entrepreneur Ian Ippolito recommends putting as much as 13 to 26% or more into real estate. He cites a 2017 study, which shows that unleveraged residential properties return more than stocks with less risk. He also points out that the Yale Endowment (which consistently beats the market) allocates as much as 20% of its portfolio to real estate.

How Much of My Portfolio Should I Invest in Real Estate? | Invest.net (2)

In fact, the Yale Endowment’s Chief Endowment Officer David Swensen recommends that investors who want a “well-diversified, equity-oriented portfolio” allocate 20% of their portfolio to real estate investment trusts.

Other institutional investors make similar recommendations. For example, Blackstone and Baird both emphasize the importance of allocating a significant portion of your portfolio to alternative investments like real estate.

So if you want to invest as the wealthy do, you might consider allocating about 20% of your portfolio to real estate.

Benefits of Investing in (Single-Family) Real Estate

That said, what makes real estate such an attractive asset class to expert investors? On top of the competitive returns, real estate offers many benefits not found in most other alternative assets. Here are a few of them:

  • A hedge against inflation. Property owners can hedge against inflation by transferring inflationary pressure onto tenants in the form of higher rent.
  • No (or negative) correlation with the stock market. Real estate values don’t follow stock prices. So by having some of your portfolio in real estate, your investments are more protected against market downturns via diversification.
  • Recurring income. On top of value appreciation, real estate can generate steady rental income from rental properties. So even if the value of a property fluctuates, you’ll still benefit from recurring monthly rent payments.
  • Tax benefits. Real estate is one of the most tax-advantaged asset classes out there. For example, you can write off common property expenses like home insurance, repairs, and maintenance as well as the property’s depreciation. You can also defer capital gains taxes indefinitely through 1031 exchanges.
  • Tangible asset. Unlike many assets, a real estate portfolio is tangible, which means it has real practical value. So even if its financial value drops to zero, it can still be used as a place to live or operate a business.
  • Leverage. If you were to go to a bank and ask for a loan to invest in stocks or mutual funds, you’d get funny looks and your request would be denied. But if you ask for a loan to invest in a property, that’s called a mortgage and banks offer them all the time. It means you can put down 20% of the loan value but reap the rewards for 100% of the property value. Few (if any) other asset classes are like this.
  • Low volatility. Real estate investments are much less volatile than the stock market. Since 1963, housing prices have only dipped by more than 10% once (during the 2008 housing crash). On top of that, rents are particularly stable and drop even less frequently.
  • More control. When you own investment property, you have much more control over the asset. You can decide when to make improvements, what property manager to hire, and who to rent to. All these decisions serve as levers that you can adjust to improve the asset’s performance.
  • Stable demand. There will always be demand for real estate so long as people need somewhere to live and work. So even if the demand fluctuates, you never have to worry about demand dropping to zero, the way demand for a particular stock can.

Start Investing in Single-Family Real Estate

If you’re ready to start investing in real estate, there are a few different ways you can do it. You can either buy an investment property on your own, invest in a real estate investment trust (REIT), or invest in a real estate fund like the Invest.net SFR Fund I.

Buying and managing your own investment property can be a lot of work and is the least diversified approach. It’s putting a lot of your eggs in one basket.

REITs have been around since the 1960s and are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to invest in real estate. However, they also offer the least amount of control.

Finally, a real estate fund or real estate investment group (REIG) offers investors the best of both worlds. You get the diversification of investing in multiple properties across the U.S. while also being able to pick funds tailored to your investment needs and strategy.

Interested in learning more? Contact us today to learn more about our single-family real estate investment offerings. We look forward to chatting with you!

How Much of My Portfolio Should I Invest in Real Estate? | Invest.net (2024)

FAQs

How Much of My Portfolio Should I Invest in Real Estate? | Invest.net? ›

The decision of how much real estate to own in your portfolio is personal. If you're looking for a rule of thumb, adding 5% to 10% to your portfolio is a reasonable range. However, the best approach is to discuss with your financial advisor how adding real estate would best advance your goals.

How much of your net worth should be invested in real estate? ›

Investing expert Barbara Friedberg says a real estate allocation of 5% to 10% is a good rule of thumb since real estate is an alternative asset class. At the same time, private equity and real estate investor and serial entrepreneur Ian Ippolito recommends putting as much as 13 to 26% or more into real estate.

What is the 10% rule in real estate investing? ›

No More Than 10 Percent Down Payment

Say, for example, that you purchased a property for $150,000. Following the rule, you put $15,000 (10 percent) forward as a down payment. Think of that 10 percent as all the skin you have in the game.

What is the 5% portfolio rule? ›

Apply the 5/25 rule

When an asset class shifts from its original target by 5%, you should rebalance it. Let's imagine that your portfolio is originally 80% stocks. But then, the actual value shifts to 75% or 85% of your portfolio makeup. Since your investment makeup moved by 5%, you would rebalance your portfolio.

What is the 30 percent rule in real estate investing? ›

You may have heard it—the old rule that says, “Homeowners shouldn't spend more than 30% of their gross monthly income on housing.” The idea is to ensure they still have 70% of their income to spend on other expenses. The intent is good. But is it realistic today? That depends on your financial situation.

What is the 50% rule in real estate investing? ›

The 50% rule in real estate says that investors should expect a property's operating expenses to be roughly 50% of its gross income. This is useful for estimating potential cash flow from a rental property, but it's not always foolproof.

What is the 70% rule in real estate investing? ›

Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home. The ARV of a property is the amount a home could sell for after flippers renovate it.

What is the 80% rule in real estate? ›

The 80% rule means that an insurer will only fully cover the cost of damage to a house if the owner has purchased insurance coverage equal to at least 80% of the house's total replacement value.

What is the 2% rule in real estate? ›

2% Rule. The 2% rule is the same as the 1% rule – it just uses a different number. The 2% rule states that the monthly rent for an investment property should be equal to or no less than 2% of the purchase price. Here's an example of the 2% rule for a home with the purchase price of $150,000: $150,000 x 0.02 = $3,000.

What is the 80 20 rule in real estate? ›

What is the 80/20 Rule exactly? It's the idea that 80% of outcomes are driven from 20% of the input or effort in any given situation. What does this mean for a real estate professional? Making more money in real estate is directly tied to focusing your personal energy on the most high value areas of your business.

What is the 80 20 rule investment portfolio? ›

In investing, the 80-20 rule generally holds that 20% of the holdings in a portfolio are responsible for 80% of the portfolio's growth. On the flip side, 20% of a portfolio's holdings could be responsible for 80% of its losses.

Is a 70 30 portfolio risky? ›

Since, over time, stocks have the potential for both higher returns and higher risks, the 70 percent is more aggressive than a traditional 60/40 split. Over the very long-term period of 1926 to 2019, a 70/30 portfolio has an average return of 9.21 percent. For a long-term investor, that's a healthy appreciation.

What is the golden rule of portfolio? ›

The greater the potential returns, the higher the level of risk. Make sure you understand the risks and are willing and able to accept them. Different investments have different levels of risk.

How much income do you need to buy a $650000 house? ›

To determine whether you can afford a $650,000 home you will need to consider the following 4 factors. Based on the current average for a down payment, and the current U.S. average interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage you would need to be earning $126,479 per year before taxes to be able to afford a $650,000 home.

What is the 7% rule in real estate? ›

The top 7% are hustlers. If they don't know something, they'll learn it. If the heat is on, they'll put in the extra hours to make it happen. You don't have to know everything, everyone, have all the money, or talent, but if you'll apply those two principles, you'll do very well in real estate.

How much house can I afford if I make $70,000 a year? ›

If you're an aspiring homeowner, you may be asking yourself, “I make $70,000 a year: how much house can I afford?” If you make $70K a year, you can likely afford a home between $290,000 and $360,000*. That's a monthly house payment between $2,000 and $2,500 a month, depending on your personal finances.

What is the 4 3 2 1 rule in real estate? ›

4-3-2-1 rule

The front quarter of the standard site receives 40% of the total value. The second quarter receives 30% of the total value. The third quarter receives 20% of the total value; and the rear quarter receives just 10% of the total value.

What is a 70 30 split in real estate investing? ›

Split structure

They offer a 70-30 split. Meaning, 70 percent of the commission will go to the real estate agent and 30 percent will go to the brokerage. In addition, a real estate agent will pay a six percent franchise fee for each transaction up to $3,000.

What is the 100 times rule in real estate investing? ›

Savvy real estate investors often pay no more than 100 times the monthly rent to purchase a property. In the case of the couple above, an investor following the 100 times monthly rent rule wouldn't pay more than $750,000 because the monthly market rent was $7,500.

What is the 5% rule in real estate investing? ›

Applying the 5% rule would look like this: Multiply the value of the property you own/like to obtain by 5%. Divide by 12 (to get a monthly amount). If the resulting amount is costlier than you would pay to rent an equivalent property, renting your home and investing your money in rental properties may work better.

What is the 4% rule in real estate investing? ›

For more than 25 years, the most common guideline has been a rule known as the '4% rule. ' This rule suggests that a withdrawal equal to 4% of the initial portfolio value, with annual increases for inflation, is sustainable over a 30-year retirement.

What is the 110 rule investing? ›

Age-Based Asset Allocation

For example, there's the rule of 110. This rule says to subtract your age from 110, then use that number as a guideline for investing in stocks. So if you're 30 years old you'd invest 80% of your portfolio in stocks (110 – 30 = 80).

What is the 5 and 2 real estate rule? ›

The 2-out-of-five-year rule states that you must have both owned and lived in your home for a minimum of two out of the last five years before the date of sale. However, these two years don't have to be consecutive, and you don't have to live there on the date of the sale.

What is the 25 rule in real estate? ›

To calculate how much house you can afford, use the 25% rule—never spend more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay (after tax) on monthly mortgage payments.

What is the 20 percent rule in real estate? ›

According to the 20/10 rule, you should limit your non-housing debt to twenty percent of your annual net income and keep your monthly payments for that debt to less than ten percent of the monthly net amount.

What is the 36 rule in real estate? ›

A household should spend a maximum of 28% of its gross monthly income on total housing expenses according to this rule, and no more than 36% on total debt service. This includes housing and other debt such as car loans and credit cards. Lenders often use this rule to assess whether to extend credit to borrowers.

Is the 1% rule realistic? ›

The 1% rule is a guideline that real estate investors use to choose viable investment options for their portfolios. Although the rule has helped many investors make wise decisions regarding their investment properties, the current real estate market may make following the 1% rule unrealistic.

What is the Brrrr method? ›

The BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) Method is a real estate investment approach that involves flipping a distressed property, renting it out and then getting a cash-out refinance on it to fund further rental property investments.

What is the rule of 35 in the real estate? ›

By law, lenders can't underwrite the loan unless they can determine the borrower will be able to pay up the loan. The whole idea behind the 35-percent rule of thumb is this: a borrower can afford no more than 35% of its monthly take-home pay.

Does rule of 72 work for real estate? ›

If you currently own a real estate investment, you can use Rule 72 to make financial estimates. You'll need to know the current rate of return on your rental property. Once you understand your rate of return, you can estimate how much your investment has grown over the time you have owned the property.

What is 15% rule investing? ›

The 15-15-15 rule is concentrated on investing in values of 15s. As per the 15-15-15 rule, mutual funds investors invest in ₹15000 SIP per month at a rate of interest of 15% for 15 years. And at the end of tenure, likely to generate approximately ₹1 crore.

What is the 5 10 rule investing? ›

investing more than 5% of its assets in a single registered investment company (the “5% Limit”); or. investing more than 10% of its assets in registered investment companies (the “10% Limit”).

What is the 90 10 rule portfolio? ›

The 90/10 ETF Portfolio Allocation is a popular investment strategy that involves dividing the portfolio into two components: 90% invested in low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track major stock market indices, such as the S&P 500, and 10% invested in low-risk fixed-income securities, such as government bonds.

Can you retire with a $500,000 portfolio? ›

With some planning, you can retire at 60 with $500k. Remember, however, that your lifestyle will significantly affect how long your savings will last. If you're content to live modestly and don't plan on significant life changes (like travel or starting a business), you can make your $500k last much longer.

Is 70 30 or 60 40 better for retirement? ›

In recent years, the 70/30 asset allocation has become more popular. But many investors still prefer a 60/40 portfolio based on lower risk tolerance. Essentially, this portfolio takes on more risk in exchange for higher returns.

Is a 60 40 portfolio still good? ›

This makes it ideal for investors in the middle of their careers and those with moderate risk tolerance. However, investors should understand that they may sacrifice some returns, as stocks have historically outperformed bonds. Still, the 60/40 portfolio is a strong strategy overall.

What is rule 25 in investing? ›

The Rule of 25 is a potentially useful way for you to get a sense of how much money you will need to save to have a financially secure retirement. The rule states that if you save 25 times of what you want your annual salary to be in retirement, that you can stretch that money for 30 years.

What is the rule of 69 investing? ›

The Rule of 69 states that when a quantity grows at a constant annual rate, it will roughly double in size after approximately 69 divided by the growth rate.

What is the perfect investment portfolio? ›

Tax and cost efficient: A perfect investment portfolio is the one whose returns don't get eaten up by taxes or unnecessary costs attached to it. In other terms, while investing in any product you should be aware of the costs attached to it and taxability of returns.

How much income do you need to buy a $1000000 house? ›

Experts suggest you might need an annual income between $100,000 to $225,000, depending on your financial profile, in order to afford a $1 million home. Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI), credit score, down payment and interest rate all factor into what you can afford.

How much income do you need to buy a $2000000 house? ›

Assuming you are financing the purchase and put at least 20% down, most lenders will require you to have a salary of at least $450,000 per year to qualify for a $2 million home loan. This could be household income if both you and your spouse are on the loan.

What salary do you need for a 400k house? ›

The primary factor is your income — a $400,000 purchase typically requires a salary of at least $106,000. Other important considerations include your credit score, the size of your down payment and the details of your mortgage loan, including the interest rate.

Is house flipping still profitable? ›

ATTOM has measured house flipping activity since 2005 and found that the practice was most profitable, in pure dollars, in 2021 — when investors pocketed an average $70,000 per property. Investors profitted the least amount in 2008, racking in a mere $30,000 per flip.

Is it a good time to flip houses 2023? ›

If you are considering flipping houses in California, HomeLight always encourages you to reach out to an advisor regarding your own situation. Like many other areas in the U.S., the California housing market is seeing a decline in prices, and that decline will likely continue in 2023.

What are the three most important rules of real estate? ›

The three rules of real estate: location, location, location.

Can I afford a 300K house on a $70 K salary? ›

On a $70,000 income, you'll likely be able to afford a home that costs $280,000–380,000. The exact amount will depend on how much debt you have and where you live — as well as the type of home loan you get.

How much house can I afford if I make $120000 a year? ›

If you make $50,000 a year, your total yearly housing costs should ideally be no more than $14,000, or $1,167 a month. If you make $120,000 a year, you can go up to $33,600 a year, or $2,800 a month—as long as your other debts don't push you beyond the 36 percent mark.

What house can I afford with 150k salary? ›

The lower your down payment, the higher your monthly mortgage payment. “With a $150,000 income, you could potentially save up to $100,000 – 20 percent – within a few years,” says Shri Ganeshram, CEO of real estate website Awning. “This would allow you to purchase a home in the $500,000 range.”

What is the 1% rule in real estate investing? ›

The 1% rule of real estate investing measures the price of the investment property against the gross income it will generate. For a potential investment to pass the 1% rule, its monthly rent must be equal to or no less than 1% of the purchase price.

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

One of the most common types of percentage-based budgets is the 50/30/20 rule. The idea is to divide your income into three categories, spending 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings. Learn more about the 50/30/20 budget rule and if it's right for you.

How much of your net worth should you spend on housing? ›

The total house value should generally be no more than 3 to 5 times your total household income, depending on how much debt you currently have. If you are completely debt-free, congratulations—you can consider houses that are up to 5 times your total household income.

What is the 4-3-2-1 real estate strategy? ›

The 4-3-2-1 Approach

This ratio allocates 40% of your income towards expenses, 30% towards housing, 20% towards savings and investments and 10% towards insurance.

What is the 4-3-2-1 rule in real estate? ›

4-3-2-1 rule

The front quarter of the standard site receives 40% of the total value. The second quarter receives 30% of the total value. The third quarter receives 20% of the total value; and the rear quarter receives just 10% of the total value.

What is the 0.8 rule in real estate? ›

This general guideline suggests that you charge around 1% (or within 0.8-1.1%) of your property's total market value as monthly rent payments. A property valued at $200,000, for instance, would rent for $2,000 a month, or within a range of $1,600-$2,200.

What is the 50 15 5 rule? ›

50 - Consider allocating no more than 50 percent of take-home pay to essential expenses. 15 - Try to save 15 percent of pretax income (including employer contributions) for retirement. 5 - Save for the unexpected by keeping 5 percent of take-home pay in short-term savings for unplanned expenses.

What is the 40 40 20 budget rule? ›

It goes like this: 40% of income should go towards necessities (such as rent/mortgage, utilities, and groceries) 30% should go towards discretionary spending (such as dining out, entertainment, and shopping) - Hubble Spending Money Account is just for this. 20% should go towards savings or paying off debt.

How to budget $5,000 a month? ›

Consider an individual who takes home $5,000 a month. Applying the 50/30/20 rule would give them a monthly budget of: 50% for mandatory expenses = $2,500. 20% to savings and debt repayment = $1,000.

Is $3 million enough to retire at 65? ›

If you retire at age 65 and expect to live to the average life expectancy of 79 years, your three million would need to last for about 14 years. However, if you retire at 55 and expect to live to the average life expectancy, your nest egg would need to last for about 24 years.

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