Improving cash flow: Here's how to do it with real estate investments

What opportunities do you have to improve cash flow at your property?

Thinking about investing in real estate to provide for your long-term retirement? That's a smart decision, but there's one crucial metric you should keep in mind: cash flow. In this article, we'll take a closer look at cash flow, how you calculate it, and why it matters so much for real estate investing. We'll also address the question of whether real estate investing only makes sense when cash flow is positive, and how you can improve cash flow, both before and after buying a property.

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What is Cash Flow and How Is It Calculated?

Before we dive into the details, let's first clarify the term "Cash Flow." Cash flow is the relationship between the income and expenses of a property. If there is money left over after deducting all costs and expenditures, it is referred to as a positive cash flow. The calculation of cash flow is as follows:

Cash Flow = Income - Expenses

Income includes rental income, utility bill reimbursements, or any other revenue generated from the property. Expenses encompass loan repayments, interest, ongoing operational costs, maintenance reserves, insurance, and management fees.

Are Real Estate Investments Only Worth It When Cash Flow Is Positive?

The answer to this question is complex. A positive cash flow is undeniably an indicator of a profitable real estate investment. It indicates that your income can cover ongoing expenses and debts, leaving surplus funds. This is especially important for ensuring long-term financial stability and profitability.

However, it's crucial to understand that achieving a positive cash flow from the outset is not always easy, especially in sought-after locations or during periods of high interest rates. Properties in prime locations may come at a higher cost and may require larger loans, which can initially impact cash flow negatively. However, this doesn't mean that such real estate investments should be avoided altogether.

Many experienced investors, like Janina, have successfully acquired properties that initially had a negative cash flow. This is because they have developed strategies to improve cash flow over time.

Negative Cash Flow: A Red Flag in Real Estate Investment?

A negative cash flow should not necessarily be viewed as a red flag. It is more of a snapshot and can be temporary. It is essential to understand why cash flow is negative and how to steer it in a positive direction in the long run.

Now, let's explore various ways to improve cash flow, both before and after purchasing a property.

Ways to Improve Cash Flow Before and After Purchase

1. Negotiating Purchase Price: Even before buying a property, you can try to negotiate the purchase price. A lower purchase price can reduce monthly loan repayments and enhance cash flow.

2. Rent Adjustment: If you already own a property, regularly assess whether you can increase the rent. Be mindful of legal regulations and rent cap limits in your area. Adjusting rents can boost cash flow.

3. Furnished Rentals: Renting out your property fully furnished to short-term tenants, such as tourists or business travelers, can generate higher rental income and improve cash flow. Ensure compliance with local regulations.

4. Installing a Fitted Kitchen (EBK): Adding a fitted kitchen can increase the value of your property and raise rental income. This can have a long-term positive impact on cash flow.

Conclusion: How Important Is Cash Flow, Then?

Cash flow is undoubtedly a critical factor in real estate investments. A positive cash flow provides financial security and contributes to the profitability of your investment. However, it may not always be easy to achieve a positive cash flow right from the start, especially in high-demand locations or during periods of high interest rates.

Experienced investors like Janina have demonstrated that it is possible to improve cash flow over time by implementing various strategies. These strategies may include optimizing financing, adjusting rents, engaging in furnished rentals, and other measures.

Ultimately, the significance of cash flow depends on your goals with your real estate investments. If you seek long-term stability and profitability, a positive cash flow is highly important. However, if you are willing to invest for the long term and implement strategies to enhance cash flow, even properties with initially negative cash flow can become profitable over time.

In any case, it is essential to conduct thorough research, assess risks, and plan potential improvement strategies to optimize cash flow in your real estate investments.

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Negotiating real estate purchse price

The purchase price of a property is a matter of negotiation? Not always. Sometimes the asking price is simply good. Then you shouldn't try to get an even better price. But in this article, you'll learn when it's worth negotiating and how to stay fair.

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Which criteria does Urbyo use to evaluate properties?

We want you to be able to buy real estate easily and without complications. In order for you to do that more than once, we have to make sure that the properties on Urbyo meet high standards. But what does that mean? With our local teams, we take a look at the properties. We also look at the documentation for the properties and check location and yield factors.

It may be that we rate a property as an income property because it generates a positive cash flow directly, for example, or as a value development property because it is in a very good location in a dynamic market. In addition, we check the bank value and the property valuations via VDP and Sprengnetter and the property's financing capability in advance.

Normally, we do not send appraisers to the properties. If we are not sure whether a property meets our criteria, we do not take it on. In addition, we also look at the owner's records to see if there are any indications of problems with the property.

Despite all these measures: a property purchase is of course always associated with a certain financial risk. However, we try to keep this as low as possible.

How do I make money by buying a property?

The three magic words: cash flow, rental yield, performance.
As soon as the cold rent is higher than your financing costs (i.e. interest and repayment), you generate an income surplus with the real estate investment. This is the cash flow.

In addition, you benefit from the fact that your repayments reduce your outstanding loan amount every month. Only, the money for this doesn't come from you, but from your tenant.

In addition, with well-chosen real estate you profit in the long run from the general increase in value.

You can also find out why a condominium as an investment is a real complement to stocks in our German-speaking podcast episode "Lohnt sich eine Eigentumswohnung als Kapitalanlage?" (Is a condo a worthy investment?)

How much property can I afford?

That depends entirely on your equity, the your desired loan amount, your credit score and the bank in question. But there is a rough way to calculate it.

The answer in a nutshell: The amount you can borrow for a property is between 100 and 140 times your net household income. For example, if you have a net income of €2,000, a real estate loan of between €200,000 and €280,000 is realistic. Depending on how much additional equity you have at your disposal, you can make a rough estimate of your budget.

But there are of course other factors that influence this value. The bank decides how much you will ultimately receive as a loan. To do this, they prepare a so-called budget calculation for you and thus get an impression of your financial situation.
By the way, real estate that you may already own and that also provides a cash flow increases your possibilities. Expensive consumer loans, on the other hand, reduce your leeway.

With higher financing on a loan, the return on equity increases — as long as the rental income exceeds the cost of the loan. The whole thing is called the leverage effect.