Traditionally, investors have looked upon owning far-away rental properties with suspicion. It seemed impossible to own and manage a property that was hours away from you. In today’s hyper-connected world, these impossibilities have disappeared. If work can be done remotely, why can’t investing in real estate?

There are plenty of compelling reasons to invest in single-family rentals, including it's popularity as a stable asset for long-term earning potential.

We’re no strangers to the rapid pace of technology. Only recently, AI has come into its own as a viable technology beyond simple novelty. We’re seeing it seep into industry after industry, and real estate is no different.

Remote real estate investing can be one of the best things you’ll ever do as an investor. From unprecedented market access to key portfolio diversification, the benefits – and the options – are endless. With that said, out-of-state investing can be risky. Don’t ignore these essential steps to safely (and successfully) investing outside of your local market.

Investing out-of-state can be a nerve-wracking experience for the uninitiated. We’re worried enough about buying properties that we can see and visit – what about the real estate from afar?

One of the biggest hurdles individual real estate investors face is the debate over where to invest. For many, investing where they feel safe is natural. After all, you know your neighborhood. You can see real, tangible opportunities pop up all around you as the market shifts. 

One of the great advantages of investing in real estate is the sheer variety in the industry. As investors, we can have our pick of strategy. There are methods like BRRR, fix-and-flip, wholesaling, single-family, multi-family, commercial...so many ways to go about investing, not to mention the variety in the types of investment properties.

Security is something we all value. We want to live our lives without having to worry about money. Whether that means having the confidence to pay for unexpected expenses or the ability to take a vacation worry-free, we all crave that kind of comfort and confidence in our personal lives.

New real estate investors usually have the impulse to invest where they are. They want to stick with the market they’re familiar with, the properties they can visit and see, the things they can control.

The idea that they should invest outside of that in markets that are thousands of miles away sounds preposterous! In actuality, remote real estate investing isn't as crazy as it might sound. In fact, it offers some of the best investment opportunities you'll find in real estate.

Remote real estate investment: it’s a topic that’s a source of contention among investors. Bring it up, and you’ll have two divisions immediately.

One side will swear by it, saying that they love the freedom they found once they took the plunge and started investing outside of their local real estate bubble, while others will say no, no, no...they’d never dream of investing remotely. They say it’s too risky and too expensive.

Which side is right?

Should you invest out-of-state? Can you find success through remote real estate investment? Is it right for you, or should you just keep your investments local? In real estate, after all, they say location is the single most important factor.

If where you invest matters so much, then the remote versus local debate should probably be talked about a lot more than it really is.

For investors who have stayed local thus far but have wondered about expanding outside of your usual range, we’re going to explore some of the common fears and myths, along with the pros and cons, of investing in real estate remotely—whether that means in another city or in another state, or across the country.

Hopefully, we’ll shed some light on the subject.