Now updated for today’s bullish real estate market, this is the go-to, classic entrepreneurial guide for landlords and real estate investors who want to buy and manage rental properties for long-term wealth. There’s never been a better time for buying rental properties—interest rates are low and credit is more freely available to those who want to buy and invest. But where does one begin? With more than twenty plus years of experience in real estate and as the founder of The Landlord Property Management Academy, Bryan M. Chavis knows all phases and aspects of working with rental properties. In Buy It, Rent It, Profit! he explains why rental properties are such a wise investment in today’s real estate world and outlines the steps and systems you need to implement to become a successful landlord and property manager. This updated edition of the modern classic includes advice on being a profitable and professional landlord, protecting your investment, learning what types of property you should be purchasing, and adapting to the ever-changing world of technology in real estate. Chavis also provides systems on how to attract quality tenants, negotiate lease agreements, collect rent, finance a mortgage, and manage the property overall—everything you need to become a smart, profitable, and professional property manager. In addition, this updated edition features a workbook section with easy-to-use, universal forms for leases, evictions, property evaluations, and more. Buy It, Rent It, Profit! is the ultimate how-to procedures manual for buying and managing rental properties and a practical, realistic tool you can follow to become a profitable landlord and property manager. Bryan Chavis is founder of The Landlord Property Management Academy and author/creator of one of the top property management designations/certifications online. Chavis runs one of the top blogs for real estate professionals at LandlordAcademy.com and is a property management coach for Keller Williams MAPS. Named one of the top 40 up-and-coming entrepreneurs under the age of 40 by the Gulf Coast Business Review , he travels the country coaching real estate professionals, and consults for some of the largest housing authorities in the nation. Chavis lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife and their daughter. Buy It, Rent It, Profit! (Updated Edition) ONE INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE How You Can Become Wealthy as a Landlord Gold slippeth away from the man who invests it in businesses or purposes with which he is not familiar or which are not approved by those who are skilled in its keep. —The Richest Man in Babylon We are all looking for ways to get wealthy. Some people might not state this so bluntly, but let’s face it—we all crave the security that money can bring. But it’s important to note that wealth doesn’t have to mean greed. Wealth can buy you more time off to spend with your family, good education for your children, better health care, and the freedom to live the life you want to live. Wealth to me means freedom. I want to have enough money to take time off to travel with my wife. I want to be able to help my parents live out their retirement years in comfort. And I want to give back to my community, particularly to help at-risk children have opportunities to make something out of their lives. All this takes time and money. Money buys me this time, and it provides me with these things that are so important to me. The bookstore shelves are lined with titles that promise to reveal the “secrets to success.” I was once one of those staring at a wall of titles and wondering which one would help get me to the place I wanted to be. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably already learned what makes the “millionaire next door” tick and how to “think and grow rich.” These are great motivational books—they help you figure out what path you want to take toward building your own life of financial security and freedom. But if you’ve picked up this book, you probably want something more . . . specific advice on how to build that wealth through one of the smartest methods around: real estate. I’ve been working in the apartment industry, where I received my Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) designation, for more than twenty years, first as a manager of large rental complexes and later as an owner. I’ve worked on every type of property—from single-family homes to thousand-unit apartment buildings, and just about everything in between. Several years ago, before the first edition of Buy It, Rent It, Profit! was published, I decided to put all the advice, systems, and “best practices” I’ve developed over the years into a book and seminar series called The Landlord Academy (www.landlordacademy.com). After working in real estate for so long, I had grown really dissatisfied by what I’d seen in the marketplace and by all of these speakers blowing into town to host seminars on how to get rich in real estate. Typically, they had a line out the d