Have you ever had the dream of paying for your kids college? What about helping them get on their feet in the future, like buying them their first home! Sounds almost impossible right? It may be easier than you think!

Is Real Estate a Smart College Savings Plan?
We all know that college isn’t cheap, especially four-year universities. Unless your child is earning a major scholarship that covers everything, you have to be prepared to cover significant educational expenses. In most cases, we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars. Putting a little money away in a savings account generally won’t suffice. You have to have a long term plan that invests your contributions for better growth potential. 529 plans offer nice tax advantages, but they are generally fairly conservative investment plans and the funds are limited to qualified educational expenses.

Benefits of Investment Properties
If it fits within your financial plan, investing in real estate is a great way to save for your children’s college expenses. Real estate is almost always one of the safest investments around and it can benefit you in multiple ways:
• Cash Flow—If your investment property is rented, you can earn supplemental income that you can then invest elsewhere (including a 529 plan ) to make even more money over time.
• Appreciation—If you buy property when your child is born, you’re looking at 18 years of appreciation. The value will likely go up during that time.

So What Can This Mean Long Term?
You have two options:
1. When your child or kids is/are ready to go to college, you can sell the property and use the profits to fund their education.
2. You can keep this investment property, continue to earn income and gift the home to them when they graduate college to set them up for their future.

Real Estate is a Great Long-Term Investment
Real estate is a more predictable and stable investment than stocks or even IRAs because it is a real, tangible asset that will always be in demand. At the same time, it is more aggressive than 529 plans or basic savings accounts. It is a good, dependable source of future income.

Real estate also offers multiple exit strategies (sell, refinance, pull out equity, investing earned income, etc.) and it’s generally a very solid investment. And, if your kid decides not to go to college, your money isn’t locked up in a 529 plan. You can just hold onto the property or sell/refinance it to help your child out in other ways. Maybe you even gift them the property when they are of age.

Hire a Property Manager
There is much more research available on this topic. But a great deal of knowledge will come from a property manager! At All County Property Management Group, we not only help renters find their next home but also property investors looking for an experienced property management company to take over the hard work of property management. We offer up-to-date listings to suit a variety of needs and budgets. In addition, our dedicated leasing staff works with you every step of the way so you can feel confident in your home choice. Plus our team handles all property management needs from maintenance, leasing documents, marketing and more! For more information or to see our available listings in your area, check us out today!