For those of you with the extra liquid and looking for a worthwhile long-term investment, getting involved in secondary property redevelopment may be the way to go. This type of business may seem high-end, but in reality, it is simply buying houses or residential units, restoring or renovating them, and then selling them at a profit. Sounds like a contrarian business, but if you think about it, with the real estate market still down, there are plenty of houses for sale at bargain prices that you can buy from banks and you can get the best quotes from contractors to renovate the property and fixtures. Here are some of the things you should know before venturing into this business:

– Be very liquid. This means that you may need a lot of cash to do that type of business. This is a business that takes the long view in doing this, especially if you do it full time. You can also do this by leveraging your property as collateral for soft loans from banks, but this should be done conservatively. These days, many banks are wary of lending to leverage homes, so the option is to use conservative estimates, and if you decide to go this route, you have added pressure to sell the home immediately.

– Purchase of properties at low prices. You should be able to buy property prices at a low price. Regardless of what the bank offers to sell, haggle at least 50% off the stated price. From then on, it’s a bargaining game, and be prepared to walk away from the deal, even if it sounds sweet. You should find almost half or around 30% of the asking price.

– Search for materials in case of restoration. You don’t necessarily need the name brands when you renew. For example, go and buy door knobs at a discount door knob store. Also, when shopping for wholesale prices, be sure to get the contractors rate, which should be at least 20% off the listed price. You can also go online and pre-order items from the discount door knobs website. It makes your life easier to do that.

– Negotiate with subcontractors for reforms. You should be able to negotiate with subcontractors to do renovations. You can also provide the necessary materials for the work that needs to be done. Also, be sure to document any changes to the plan and if you are negotiating on the labor side of subcontractors, estimate the work days needed to complete the task and have the final inspection before signing off. Knowing that you are on top of everything will help contractors do their job well.