Definition of "Investment property"

The investment property definition is pretty simple: it is a property which its main purpose is not sheltering/housing its homeowner but acting as an investment asset.

The ways an investment property can bring return to investors are either instantly through rental income or over time, when the homeowner sits on the property until the value appreciation of the area is good enough for him (or her) to sell it, making money off of the interest appreciation – bought a house at $200,000, sold for $500,000 profiting $300,000 off of that investment. It can be both too: someone that, while waiting for the house to appreciate its value, rents the investment property to make money. Or even a rent with option to buy property.

However, the investment property definition can get murky when you buy second homes. Say you are a snowbird from Boston that buys a home in Florida to run away from the winter. While the rest of the year you use the southern home for airbnb renting, making money off of it like an investment property, you do live in the place for about 4 months a year. Does that make the house an investment property or not? And does it even matter what name is it called?

Actually, yes.

Investment properties, for instance, can’t benefit off a mortgage insurance, as insurance companies only provide a mortgage to primary residences. And that includes Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans. Not to mention tax exemptions a vacation home cannot bring.

So there are a bunch of factors that determine if a home is an investment property or not – like the distance between the primary residence to the second home and even just to name one. It will depend on the loan originator and the story you tell them.

Real Estate Advice:

Have a chat with your real estate agent and a financial advisor so you don’t learn down the road that your money is going down the drain and you could be profiting much more.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Creates a lien against the mortgagor's property, but does not permit a lien against his or her personal assets. See also non recourse. ...

Correcting depreciation by making improvements at less cost than the value added. For example, the management of an aging strip shopping center makes a decision to refurbish the windows and ...

Expected period of benefit used to depreciate business property, plant, and equipment. The guidelines may be developed by the industry or Internal Revenue Service (IRS). ...

Also called real property. Anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings, walls, fences, and shrubs, as well as the rights to own or use them. It is distinguished from ...

maintenance procedures conducted to prevent later repairs and furthering a longer useful life. For example, many boilers and burners are cleaned and serviced each year before the winter ...

The portion of a structure providing the primary ground support. Foundations have a foundation wall forming a permanent below grade retaining wall. All modern foundations rely on concrete ...

Founded in 1969 and located in West Palm Beach, FL, NACORE has 3,273 members. Its members consist of anyone managing, administering and/or operating regional real estate departments for ...

The floor of a building closets to the building grade. Normally, the ground floor of a building is the first floor. A ground floor can sometimes be located between the first floor and the ...

The Principle of conformity states that conformity is achieved when all the entities or objects comply to the same standard, rules or laws. This creates a balance and stability between ...

Popular Real Estate Questions