The Top 5 Real Estate Investing Websites for Making Money

In order to maximize your profits and ensure that you have all the necessary information, check out the leading real estate investing websites.

 Table of Contents 

1. What Are the Different Types of Investor Websites?
2. Which Real Estate Investing Websites Are the Best?
3. What Are the Different Types of Investors?
4. Signs You’re Ready to Buy Investment Property
5. Investing in Real Estate Websites List: Final Thoughts

Up until recently, real estate investors and agents accessed far fewer sources when keeping track of market trends and information about the local real estate market.

Relying solely on real estate agents in your area is no longer the only option available to you. You can now access specifically designed investor’s blogs and entire sites dedicated to property investing. The sites will help you find relevant information about any type of real estate property.

The quality of the websites varies, though—and they are not all suitable for investors. So, before signing up for one and wasting your precious time, you should take the time to figure out which sites you can (and cannot) trust.

To help you on your journey of researching real estate investing websites, we’ve identified the top five that should end up on your list. Stay tuned for more information. 

What Are the Different Types of Investor Websites?

The investing in real estate website list does not only consist of single-purpose sites designed to point investors in a specific direction. As it turns out, there are many different types of investor websites—and their categorization generally involves the following three types:

Primarily Educational

The educational types of websites are more like regular blogs. They help the investor keep up with the current trends and forecasts on the market they’re researching.

Other than the fact that they’ll provide the investor with relatively accurate information, such websites don’t leave space for any further plans. In other words, they’re nothing more than reading material—although it doesn’t make them any less valuable.

Community-Based

Community-based investor websites act as an excellent communication network between real estate agents in a particular area. By reaching out and discussing different viewpoints, investors can get a better picture of the market and its profitability.

Listing Services

Listing services are well-designed sites that are most favored by remote real estate investors. Such types of investors are serious in their intention to research properties outside their primary place of residence. And if you’re serious about taking the next step in your investment strategy, it is the type of website you should turn your attention to here.

By relying on the statistics, investors can estimate which real estate markets are performing the best at the moment and compare them to their financial plans and investment strategies.

While somewhat different in nature, listing services websites can help you find the best place to buy rental property.

Which Real Estate Investing Websites Are the Best?

As we’ve already mentioned, dozens of high-quality real estate investing websites offer real estate investors a chance to explore the market and make money. Then again, there are also some not-so-reliable ones.

So, we’ve singled out the top five websites proven to be the most useful for investors. See the list below:

1. Mashvisor Real Estate Investing Website

First on the list of best real estate investing websites comes Mashvisor. It is a platform aimed at helping real estate investors expand their investment portfolios and make high returns.

You may be already familiar with Mashvisor. Still, there’s no harm in repeating the importance and contribution that it brings not only real estate investors nationwide but brokers, real estate agents, and property managers, as well.

If you choose to rely on Mashvisor’s tools, you will be equipped with up-to-date and accurate information on any real estate market across the entire US. Real estate investors can rest assured knowing that our listing information comes from MLS, Redfin, and other trustworthy sources.

Mashvisor’s strongest assets are, in fact, its tools. The ones that stand out among users are:

• Heatmap
• Property Marketplace
• Mashboard
• Rental Property Calculator

The easy handling of information and the ability to make firm predictions on the potential returns on investment make Mashvisor a serious candidate and one of the best-performing websites for real estate investing.

If you’re worried about the price—don’t be. Mashvisor’s services are priced to fit the budget of both professionals and beginners trying to build a strong investment strategy.

To get access to our real estate investment tools, click here to sign up for a 7-day free trial of Mashvisor today and enjoy 15% off for life.

2. Zillow Real Estate Investing Website

Second on the list of top real estate investing websites is Zillow. It’s highly likely that you’ve already heard about Zillow before, so let’s just add to your already acquired knowledge. It is a website primarily designed for home searching. It is the site’s primary function; however, Zillow is much more than just a search tool. 

Zillow allows potential renters, home buyers, sellers, real estate agents—even mortgage professionals—to share essential information regarding homes and list them on the website. It works by collecting data from more than 110 million properties in the US. The service mainly operates through the website—but it also comes with its own app. 

However, the fact that listing your home here and gaining access to other functions on Zillow might be easy doesn’t necessarily imply that the company is 100% flawless in its intentions. For example, many past and current Zillow users agree that the company could benefit from updating the property status on a monthly basis. Apparently, roughly 40% of customers supposedly encountered problems with property status inaccuracies.

3. Roofstock Real Estate Investing Website

Third on the list of real estate investing websites for making money in 2022 is Roofstock. Also a well-known real estate marketplace for investors, the website thrives on buying and selling single-family homes in particular.

Within the platform, there is also an option called “Roofstock One,” aimed at accredited real estate investors who are looking to make money through a passive approach. But we should probably mention that you’ll need at least $5,000—just to get started. 

You can buy or sell any type of real estate property here, but the emphasis is generally on single-family homes. It should be noted that there are tenants actively living on them in most of the properties.

If you’re focused on buying, Roofstock matches you with the appropriate property manager who will deal with the daily responsibilities of the property. As for the purchasing route, it lets you pay with cash or finance the property with the help of a lender.

A possible downside to the website might be that there is no chance for a passive approach for non-accredited investors. Also, Roofstock lacks a companion app—which seems to be a deal-breaker for some users.

Related: Roofstock Review: How Does This Platform Help Real Estate Investors? 

4. Realtor.com Real Estate Investing Website

The fourth place among currently popular real estate investing websites goes to Realtor.com. It’s an investor’s website that offers its user a comprehensive list of properties for sale, along with relevant information and investment tools that help them form real-estate decisions.

Once you list your home on Realtor.com, you will automatically be integrated into one of 800 MLS systems. The major advantage of using the website is, of course, the visibility factor. 

It also allows service providers and lenders to pay for leads and advertising. The leads on Realtor.com are based on the home value, by the way. Naturally, more expensive areas and properties mean more costly leads. 

Although Realtor.com narrows down the competition and allows advertising only to licensed agents, customers agree that the company should do something about its leads. You are not considered an exclusive realtor here; instead, your leads are sent to multiple agents. Sometimes, it becomes hard to make a reasonable offer on a property you’re looking to buy.

5. BiggerPockets Real Estate Investing Website

BiggerPockets is another real estate investing website for making money that realtors should consider in 2022. The platform functions as an online community with the main focus on real estate investing. The community counts around 20 million members—and it offers investors tools that can assist them in their strategic planning.

BiggerPockets is, in essence, trying to bring together real estate professionals and seasonal investors. It offers paid accounts that allow people to access different resources. After signing up, you can use the rent estimator tool and property analysis calculator. Most importantly, it’s straightforward to connect with other real estate agents in the area and participate in discussions.

Although it’s a pretty big platform and offers all kinds of opportunities to investors, it’s all too easy to get into a dispute with members looking to criticize and prompt negative interactions.

What Are the Different Types of Investors?

Now that you’re familiar with the top five real estate investing websites, let’s take a quick turn and focus on you, the reader. Indeed, you are here because you are interested in purchasing an investment property—but what type of real estate investor are you?

The following section can be particularly helpful for beginners struggling to pick a suitable niche investments-wise. So, be sure not to skip it.

The Flipper

Flippers are pretty self-explanatory based on the name. Flipper investors are the ones primarily interested in fix-and-flip projects. What the investors are doing is looking for undervalued real estate property they can fix up and resell for profit.

To be frank, a fix-and-flip project can take from a few weeks to even a few months—depending on how the market is performing and the amount of work needed on the house.

When it comes to fix-and-flip projects, your return on investment can be unforeseeable at times.

The Portfolio Builder

Portfolio builders (or producers) are on the lookout for online investing businesses that are in full working mode. They are often looking to invest in properties that are already performing well and generating profit.

In such a way, they don’t need to do the hard work themselves. They can just invest in it and add the already successful business to their investment portfolio—using the return on investment to diversify their portfolio even further.

The Regular Investor

The “regular investor“ is probably the most common career path in today’s real estate. Regular investors look through the best rental markets—and locate the one where they can generate the highest passive income from vacation rentals.

Related: How Rent Airbnb Works: A Complete Investor’s Guide

Signs You’re Ready to Buy Investment Property

Deciding to become a part of the investing business and purchasing rental property requires a lot of forethought and preparation—financially, physically, and mentally.

They are signs that you are ready to take the responsibilities that come with the title of “real estate investor.” So, before you start researching how to invest in real estate, make sure that you’ve checked the following boxes.

You Have Clear Goals

We’ve mentioned the different types of investors—and we’d like to come back to that for a second. While you’re doing your reading on real estate investing websites, you need to have established goals.

Simply, you should have already made up your mind on the type of investment you are interested in. They can be flipping houses or investing in vacation rentals, apartments, and single-family homes.

For help locating profitable property in the area and beyond, you can refer to our Property Finder.

You Have Savings

As an investor, going into business and buying an investment property by only relying on the loan you got from the bank is not going to cut it.

Often, there will be unexpected situations—and your current financial capabilities may not be enough. It is why, regardless of the investment, you should always have savings you can turn to in times of crisis.

Plus, most banks are counting on 20% (or more) for the downpayment for reassurance—and you must be prepared for that, as well.

You Can Juggle the Numbers

Another thing that is related to being prepared as a real estate investor is being able to juggle the numbers that are coming your way daily.

Of course, you won’t have to deal with the old-school method. Luckily, real estate investment tools have been invented just for that purpose—to help investors calculate cap rate, rental income, and other key metrics within minutes.

You’re Ready to Go Out

This bit especially applies to investors who choose to invest in vacation rentals.

They’re going to need to come by the property a lot more often than those who, for example, invest in traditional long-term rentals or luxury homes.

Investing in a property with a high traditional or Airbnb occupancy rate means a lot of time in the field. It involves inquiring, inspecting the property, making the necessary calls if something needs to be taken care of, etc.

Related: How to Access Airbnb Occupancy Rate Data in 2022

Investing in Real Estate Websites List: Final Thoughts

We’ve gone over the five best real estate investing education websites and discussed what real estate investors could expect if they choose to sign up for one of them.

Before doing any kind of research, the investors should take a moment to consider the type of investor website they are after here. The five leading sites we’ve singled out are Zillow, Roofstock, Realtor.com, BiggerPockets, and Active Rain—although, of course, the list of options doesn’t end there.

Lastly, you need to ensure that you are ready to take on the responsibilities of a real estate investor. Having clear goals, savings, and the willingness to handle the duties that are sure to happen during your investment career are all part of the role.

To choose the plan that best fits your needs as an investor, click here. For more information about Mashvisor, schedule a demo today.