While there are many reasons to get into real estate investing in the first place, your endeavors should always be approached with steady forward progress in mind. Keep your fledging real estate business moving toward your ultimate vision of the future by carefully considering your answers to the following questions.

  1. When you picture where you’ll be ten, twenty, or fifty years into the future, what does your life look like? Think about where you want to be both professionally and personally.
  2. Why do you want to be in real estate? Is it something you’ve always been passionate about or are you interested in getting into the industry for other reasons?
  3. When all is said and done, what life accomplishments will make you feel proudest and most fulfilled? If you’re not sure, it’s time to do a little soul searching. Carefully consider the role your business will play in achieving those goals.
  4. How big a part of your overall professional life is real estate investing for you? Some people are happy with simply pursuing it as a side endeavor, while others enjoy it enough to consider making it their main source of income one day. Identify your ultimate goals so you can work steadily in that direction.
  5. What if you won the lottery tomorrow and money was no longer a concern for you? Think about what you’d be doing with your life if earning were no longer your primary goal. Is real estate still a part of the picture or are you doing something completely different?
  6. What are your thoughts and feelings about retirement? Some people consider retirement the ultimate dream come true, while others have bittersweet feelings about the notion of retiring one day. Consider how your feelings play into your future as an investor.
  7. Are you looking at real estate investment as a potential replacement for your current profession? If so, you’ll definitely want to know as much right from the get-go so that you can plan for that level of success from day one.

Goal setting is important when it comes to anything you want to accomplish in life. However, you need to know where you ultimately want to be before you can formulate your own professional goals accordingly. The clearer your vision for your future as a potential investor, the more likely you are to wind up exactly where you want to be.