Leverage In Real Estate Investing

Definition of "Leverage in real estate investing"

Use of other people's money (OPM) in an attempt to maximize the return but at high risk. The use of leverage in real estate investing is a way to maximize yield on a small down payment. When building real estate wealth, leverage helps one grow fast without extreme risk. High-leveraged investing in real estate is particularly beneficial in a highly inflationary environment. The best scenario is when property values increase on their borrowed fund. Property values can also decrease such as that which occurred in California in the early 1990s. A risk is negative cash flow in which income from highly leveraged property may be inadequate to pay operating expenses, interest, and principal.

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

Geographic location that is gradually being developed as an urban area. ...

Individual or business to which all rights (usually intangile) to property have been transferred. ...

The definition of a bedroom community, or commuter town in real estate is a unique type of community that merely uses their homes to sleep, while doing everything else offsite. In a bedroom ...

Building with large unpartitioned floors areas often used for storage. ...

In a construction loan, payments made to a contractor as the various construction stages are completed. The contractor uses progress payments to pay the various subcontractors and suppliers ...

An interest rate charged on a loan that exceeds the legal maximum interest rate within the state. It is illegal to do so. The maximum interest rate may depend on the type of lender and ...

Person's sole ownership of real property. ...

A certificate of ownership in a real estate company. Pledged assets for a borrowing. An example is an office building serving as collateral for the mortgage. Way of protecting property ...

A method widely used for evaluating real estate projects. Under the net present value method, the present value (PV) of all cash inflows from the project is compared against the initial ...

Popular Real Estate Questions