What Is the Difference Between Rental & Investment Home?

a building with balconies

Purchasing a property is a big investment whether it is a second home or investment home. A second home is lived in some of the time by the owner while an investment home is never lived in by the owner. There are several terms and conditions that differentiate types of investment properties. Before using the terms “second home” and “investment home” interchangeably understand what is the difference between rental and investment home. 

Investment Home 

An investment home sometimes referred to as a second home, is a property purchased to generate income and isn’t the primary residence of the owner. The property can either earn money as a residential rental home or it can be flipped, or resold, at a profit. 

Purchasing a property to flip means finding an underpriced house and reselling it as soon as possible. Be cautious of bargains that are too good to be true as this could be a sign that the house has problems. Knowing the real estate market in the area is important before buying a flipping property. Get an idea of rentals and home sales, market conditions, and zoning laws. The mortgage on the property has to be paid until it sells. To flip a house, it has to be appealing to buyers, which means investing time and money into making repairs. 

Investment property loans have high-interest rates because they are considered high-risk loans. Borrowers are less likely to walk away from a property during difficult times if they have a lot of equity invested. This means lenders require a large down payment. 

Shopping around for the right investment property loan is possible with Loans. Customers can find and compare loan rates for investment property with the help of lending managers. Loans offer low-interest rates to save customers money and provide stream-lined packages and fully-featured loans to meet any lending needs. 

Rental Home 

A rental home is an investment property that generates monthly income by renting out to tenants. There are several qualifiers to make a property a rental home, according to the Internal Revenue Service. The property is considered a vacation home if the owner lives in the property for more than 14 days per year or more than 10 percent of the time the property is rented. 

Homeowners who rent out the property but don’t live in it can deduct up to $25,000 in real estate losses annually. If the property is rented for less than 15 days in a year, homeowners don’t need to report income. Homeowners can enjoy tax write-offs for repairs, yard work, and depreciation as the house ages. As a general guideline, homeowners should expect to spend one percent of the property’s purchase price per year in maintenance. 

Appliances take a lot of wear and tear over the years. When it comes to kitchen and laundry appliance repair, the factory-trained and certified technicians at Oregon Appliance Repair can assess and repair any model and year of appliances. Oregon Appliance Repair also offers annual and bi-annual maintenance services to ensure appliances are in ideal working condition. 

Financing a rental property requires a borrower to meet several requirements. The property must be at least 50 miles away from the borrower’s primary residence. The borrower has to reside there a part of the year and the house must be usable all year. The borrower is expected to manage the property themselves without the help of a property management company. Assuming the role of a landlord takes time and energy and means staying up-to-date on rental laws and maintaining a habitable property. Interest rates on mortgages for rental homes tend to be lower than those for investment properties.