Originally, the term “carriage house” needed little explanation: it was a shed to house horse-drawn carriages. Today, however, the term has taken on a different meaning. Since the once ubiquitous carriage has little use in modern society, many of the carriage houses that were built before automobiles were common now have different uses. Many have been upgraded to serve as a guest house, garage, storage space, or even as a bar, restaurant, or shop. Today, two-story carport plans generally consist of a garage-like space on the lower level and rooms on the upper level that may include possible space for hobbies or additional storage.

Modern carriage house plans offer functional second floor home layouts to suit various needs. These designs will always include a modest kitchen, a full bathroom, and a bedroom / sleeping space. Second floor layouts can also include special spaces and amenities such as:

An office

A recreation room

Storage space

A laundry room

Additional living space

Carriage house plans are an excellent solution for those who want to build a remarkably versatile space at a relatively low price. In fact, some even transition from the second level to an apartment and rent the space to students or other tenants, generating additional income for the owner. Others make use of modern garage plans as their only living space. On the right lot, it is possible to build affordable mobile home plans to serve as the primary living space for the owner. Those with simplistic lifestyles can save a lot in the long run.

Some mobile home designs are arranged on one level with the garage located on one side and the finished homes on the other. Those with elderly relatives or friends may wish to consider this style of transportation home planning to avoid the elderly having to climb stairs. If necessary, a two-story mobile home can be designed for easy access to the second level, so that an elderly person can enjoy a comfortable life near a relative or friends who take care of them.

Carriage house plans allow homeowners to enjoy a unique combination of classic architecture and modern functionality. With a little money and imagination, the carport can be used in many ways, for business or pleasure. Whether you want to build a new home or make an addition to an existing home, these highly versatile structures are worth considering.

Real estate investing has become popular today due to television real estate investing infomercials and traveling seminar circuits. But real estate investing has not always been so popular.

In the 1960s, William Nickerson wrote: “How I turned $ 1000 into three million in real estate” and “How to make a fortune today from scratch.” It was one of the first real estate investment books to gain national attention. A little later, Al Lowry wrote “How You Can Be Financially Independent By Investing In Real Estate.” Al Lowry could be called “the father of real estate seminars today” because he was the first to hold seminars as a result of the sale of his books.

But it was Mark Haroldsen who took the momentum of the real estate investment seminar / book to the next level. Haroldsen wrote: “How to awaken the financial genius within you.” If you were tuned in to real estate investing at the time, you remember the newspaper and magazine ad that featured an image of Mark soft and bald leaning against the front hood of his Mercedes. The image appeared everywhere in full-page ads from major publications. And when Mark started selling his books, he began conducting real estate investment seminars. I had lunch with Mark and Al Lowry as they exchanged stories about the hype blitz that brought them to national prominence for their prowess in real estate investing. Later, Mark wrote “The Courage to Be Rich” and “Tax Free”.

But it was Robert Allen who capitalized on Lowry and Haroldsen’s previous groundwork. Robert Allen was reportedly paid $ 1 million upfront royalties for his best-selling book, “Nothing Down,” a compilation of 50 techniques for buying property with no money. Robert had learned these techniques from several years of experience in a commercial real estate company. He later wrote “Wealth Creation” and “Introduction to Real Estate Investing.” Robert Allen’s real estate investment seminars turned into a phenomenal marketing bonanza. The conventions were held in major cities in the country, such as Orlando, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta. Authors of various real estate investment techniques spoke at these seminars, but their spiel focused on selling packages of real estate investment materials that they were offering for sale. Millions of dollars in real estate investment materials were sold at these 3-day conventions. The convention frenzy ushered in what has since been known as “The Nothing Real Estate Movement” of the early to mid-1980s.

I keep all of these books in my personal library, and you can probably still find them in your public library and bookstores. There is a lot of great information in these books that can make you very knowledgeable, even if some of the ideas are out of date.

Now we are presented with a variety of ways to make money in real estate by investing in television infomercials, books, and seminars. Which is the best? Who can say? Real estate investing is learned through trial and error. Real estate investing skills and techniques are acquired with practice. I don’t think anyone can dogmatically recommend a technique that is better for someone else. Each real estate investor has unique needs and is in a unique situation. The objectives of real estate investment are different.

However, if you are limited in investing in real estate educational dollars and need to generate a quick return on investment, I think fixing cheap houses is an ideal starting point. Real estate investing in renovated properties generates fast, profitable dollars with low risk.

A wise man will seize more opportunities than he finds. ~ Francis Bacon

Introduction

Don’t just look for homes that meet your criteria, look for the home that meets your criteria in places where people like to rent. There are nice areas in my city and not so nice areas in my city. However, neither of those two areas is where most people like to rent properties.

There is a zone of “opportunity” between the nice and not-so-nice areas where people are eager to rent and where house values ​​are relatively lower, but where moderately high rent can be charged. There are good and bad houses in these areas, but there are usually supermarkets and shops within walking distance, often close enough to walk.

Advantages of opportunity zones

Opportunity zones have a fundamental advantage over other areas of the city: you can earn more money with them. There are two reasons for this:

1. You pay less for a rental property in an opportunity zone than you would for a comparable property in a nicer neighborhood.

2. You can charge about the same rent that you would in a nice neighborhood.

For example, I have two houses in two different parts of the city. I have a house in a nicer neighborhood on the outskirts of town where new growth is taking place. I pay $ 700 on the mortgage and receive $ 875 in rent with a profit of $ 185 / month.

I own a second home in an opportunity zone neighborhood, close to the central part of the city where property values ​​are lower. For this house, I pay $ 525 on the mortgage, receive $ 750 per rent, and make a rental profit of $ 250 / month.

It’s not about how much I earn each month on a home, but how little I pay on the mortgage which is the biggest profit in the opportunity zone!

Why do people choose to live in opportunity zones?

1. Cost. As mentioned, the cost of buying property is cheap, and when you can walk to buy groceries and other staples, you pay less in gas.

2. Convenience. Many people want to reduce their dependence on the car.

My experience in the opportunity zone

When I bought my first house, I bought it in an opportunity zone. My wife and I liked the house because the price was right and because of the location, nearby shops. Not only would we go for a walk to buy food and rent movies, but we would also walk around the neighborhood at night to get some exercise.

The area was a mix of all kinds of dwellings. In a four square block where we lived there were owner-occupied houses, townhouses, apartments, and trailer parks. Our home was located three blocks from two supermarkets, a video rental store, 7-11 and Circle K stores, an auto parts store, a Taco Bell, a McDonald’s, and a pharmacy. Of course, there were also some rougher edges in the neighborhood, some strange characters in the neighborhood, but they were in the minority.

We lived in that house for 9 years. Then we bought another house and kept our first house for rent. I recently bought a second house on the same block. It has been a place where it is very easy to find good tenants.

I don’t feel like living in that area again, but it is a place where I love having rental properties.