​Many real estate investors “get their feet wet” through some form of residential real estate. Whether those initial investments are flips, standard rental homes, or even duplexes, that’s a great start. But we recently met someone who’d been in the real estate investing game for over 10 years and had never heard of a “real estate syndication” before.

Actually, that’s pretty common. Until somewhat recently, SEC regulations did not allow for real estate syndication opportunities to be publicly advertised. This made it so, you had to be part of the “inner circle” (i.e., you had to know someone who was doing a deal) in order to invest in one.

Luckily, the SEC now allows certain opportunities to be publicly advertised, which opens the gates for more people to learn about and invest this way.
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But maybe you’re new to this term too and are wondering things like:

• What is a real estate syndication?
  
• How does a real estate syndication work?
  
• Why should I invest in a syndication deal?
  
• What would an example real estate syndication look like?

You’ve been devouring all the information possible and have nearly become enamored with the power of passively investing in real estate syndications. How could you not?

The ability to invest in real, physical assets without being a landlord, getting a share of the majority returns, and reaping amazing tax benefits is a pretty shockingly sweet deal. Plus, the diversification opportunities with minimal legwork while making an impact on local communities is pretty attractive.

Even though these traits seem impossible to pass up, real estate syndications aren’t for everyone. Each investor is in a different stage of life, has a different level of risk tolerance, and maintains different goals.

Before investing in a real estate syndication, see if one or more of the below describes you and your current situation.

Once you decide to invest outside your local area, the possibilities are limitless. This can be exhilarating and overwhelming at the same time.

A tidal wave of thoughts may come flooding in immediately. Should you consider a bustling city or a metro area? You may reminisce about a vacation you enjoyed and the gorgeous buildings you saw there.

You could dive down every possible rabbit hole, cross-referencing “best real estate market” lists, trying to make sense of current population trends, and even looking up news local to areas you’d be interested in. Honestly, this won’t really help you draw any conclusions, plus you’ll waste a ton of time and energy.

Instead, begin by assessing your personal investing goals. Maybe you want to invest in a growing market that also provides decent cash flow. Using that basic framework, this research checklist will help narrow things down:

Any time a potential investor is reviewing real estate syndication investment opportunities, they’ll likely come across the term “equity multiple”. Even if they’ve purchased a primary home or a residential rental property before, it’s unlikely they’ve heard of equity multiples.

When it comes to passively investing in real estate syndications however, it’s an important phrase to know and understand.