The ultimate guide to getting started in real-estate investing — according to entrepreneurs who built multimillion-dollar empires from scratch

Investment Brokerage vice president Mike Hills, who has an extensive property portfolio valued at over $8 million, emphasizes that a smart investor’s strategy is to stay relatively close to their investments geographically, since that allows for property managers to keep a close eye on projects while maintaining work-life balance.

That said, he and his firm are focused on investments in cities such as Denver, Austin, Boise, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, and Charlotte, all of which, Hills says, are hot markets investors should keep in mind.

What Hills looks for in deals is the “20-year picture,” he told us. What’s most important is a property’s long-term positive cash flow, net value appreciation, and overall profitability.

In other words, as long as the property pays for itself and then some, while appreciating in value long term, an investor should be in a position to profit.

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