Real estate investing has become popularized today because of real estate investing TV 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 Starting from Scratch.” It was one of the first real estate investing books to get national attention. A little later, Al Lowry authored “How You Can Become Financially Independent by Investing in Real Estate.” Al Lowry might be called “the father of the modern-day real estate seminars,” because he was the first to hold seminars as a result of his book sales.

But it was Mark Haroldsen who carried the real estate investing book/seminar thrust to the next level. Haroldsen wrote, “How to Wake Up the Financial Genius Inside You.” If you were tuned in to real estate investing at that time, you remember the newspaper and magazine advertising showing a picture of suave and bald-headed Mark leaning against the front hood of his Mercedes. The picture appeared everywhere in full page ads of major publications. And as Mark began selling his books, he began holding real estate investing seminars. I have had lunch with Mark and Al Lowry as they swapped stories of the advertising blitzes that vaulted them into national prominence for their real estate investing prowess. Mark later wrote “The Courage To Be Rich” and “Tax Free.”

But it was Robert Allen who capitalized on the previous groundwork by Lowry and Haroldsen. Robert Allen was reportedly paid $1 million advance 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 experience with a commercial real estate firm. He later wrote “Creating Wealth” and “Getting Started in Real Estate Investing.” The Robert Allen Real Estate Investing Seminars became a phenomenal marketing bonanza. Conventions were held in the major cities across the country, like Orlando, LA, Dallas, Chicago and Atlanta. The authors of various real estate investing techniques spoke at these seminars, but their spiel focused on selling packages of real estate investing materials that they offered for sale. Millions of dollars of real estate investing materials were sold at these 3 day conventions. The convention frenzy ushered in what has since become known as “The Nothing Down 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 book stores. There’s a lot of great information in these books that can make you very knowledgeable, even though some of the ideas are out-dated.

We are now presented a variety of ways for making money in real estate investing in TV infomercials, books and seminars. Which is best? Who can say? Real estate investing is learned through trial and error. Real estate investing skills and techniques are acquired by practice. I don’t think anyone can dogmatically recommend a technique best for another person. Every real estate investor has unique needs and is in a unique situation. Objectives of real estate investing differs.

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

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/. He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.

To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real—Estate—Investing.com/information/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online “Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques” at http://www.AAREIT.com/

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Real estate investing is pretty unusual in lots of ways. Real estate investing is creative. Real estate investing is risk-taking excitement. Real estate investing is diverse activity. Most of all, real estate investing is very profitable.

I’ll never forget the words of one of my professors who said, “2% think, 8% think they think, and 90% would rather die than have a thought.”

Boy, is that ever true!!!

According to surveys, 75% of the workforce hates what they do every day at their job. The survey was unneeded. Common sense and observation tells you that.

Why don’t people love what they do every day?

They hate the commute. They hate the demanding routine. They hate being demeaned by their superiors. They hate some of the people around them. On and on it goes, but most of all, they hate their limited salary - payment per what the job pays rather than payment according to their personal contribution.

The locked-in salary cap is most despicable because it pays an employee what the job is worth and not what the person is worth. The color of your skin is not the problem. The fact you were born as a female is not the problem. Your lack of superlative educational degrees is not the problem. The problem is that a job pays what the job is worth and not what the employee is worth.

Entrepreneurism is not for everyone. It takes guts to “go out on your own.” It takes guts to work on commission or for projected profit-per-job. It takes guts to live in the unknown. Some can’t make the transition from salaried job to entrepreneur.

But think about it. The beauty of real estate investing is that you can do it on a shoestring budget, and you can do it part time until full-time is justified! Real estate investing is possible without cash reserves and without good credit. Real estate investing doesn’t require a big bank account or an 800 FICO score on a credit report. Real estate investing can be initiated without ever walking into a bank to request a loan and without ever filling out a mortgage app.

When I started investing in real estate, I found it incredible that I could buy a $500,000 rental property with a $10 bill, and without a credit check or income verification! And that’s exactly how I launched my real estate investing career 25 years ago. It’s even easier today because credit is the easiest to obtain ever in history. Today, someone can be released from bankruptcy and even get 100% financing the next day! We are in an amazing period of opportunity for entering real estate investing.

True, you have to know what you’re doing. But you can learn what to do. Know-how savvy in real estate investing can be learned like any other skill. And it doesn’t require one of those complicated $3000 real estate investing seminars or costly $25,000 real estate investing coaches. Many of these “graduates” finish their education and don’t know where to start! And real estate investing doesn’t require full-time activity.

What it takes to transition from a job to a real estate investing career is “know-how savvy” and guts. After that, the sky’s the limit.

You can investigate the possibility of “escaping the job” at Real estate investing is not in any list of high school electives. You can’t get an accredited degree in real estate investing. You won’t find a high school or college guidance counselor who recommends a career in real estate investing (if the guidance counselor understood real estate investing, he or she probably wouldn’t be a guidance counselor!)

The public school system and educational curriculum in the U.S. is only a feeble attempt to prepare students to just “get a job.” Unfortunately there is no class in “Making Money 101.” You don’t have the opportunity to take a class in “How to Become Financially Independent.” No teacher ever taught a class in “How to Succeed When Everyone Else is Failing.” I never learned anything about succeeding as an entrepreneur or becoming wealthy during my 10 years in the university classroom. I only became a multi-millionaire when I learned the skills of real estate investing, and I paid the price out-of-pocket and out-of-the-classroom for that education. I learned these skills in the ole University of Hard Knocks through trial-and-error.

Never disparage the cost of education. There ain’t no free lunch. You’ve gotta get this know-how outside of a classroom, and learning how to make money is gonna cost you. But if you think the cost of education is expensive, you should calculate the cost of ignorance!

However, learning real estate investing doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. Yes, I know, the real estate investing TV infomercials and the real estate investing seminars held around the country charge big bucks for those 3-day seminars and week-long Boot Camps. But that’s pocket change compared to the fees they want to collect from you later. Catch this fact: all the real estate investing infomercials and seminars target you as a candidate for “real estate investing coaching.” That’s where they charge you up to $25,000 and over $50,000 per year for “coaching.” And often you are assigned to some kid “still wet behind the ears” to call you each week or month to hold your hand and whisper in your ear what common sense and a persistent drive should already tell you! I’m not exaggerating the real estate investing educational system, because I know it inside and out. I personally know many of the so-called “gurus.” I’ve been close to it for 25 years. My opinion is that the fees charged are exorbitant because the promoters have found deep pockets in the marketplace.

When I started my real estate investing career 25 years ago, real estate investing TV infomercials were unknown and real estate investing seminars were extremely rare. Back then, Mark Haroldsen followed an emerging trend started by Al Lowry and Nick Nickerson by holding occasional real estate investing seminars across the country. Later Robert Allen expanded the industry. Robert Allen promoted real estate investing conventions in the major cities across the U.S. He found a market for costly real estate investing packages of information with cassette tapes and note books. TV infomercials, expensive seminars, and outlandish coaching fees followed in subsequent years. Would-be real estate investing aspirants today who want more than an inadequate salary from a job in Dullsville often conclude that they have to “pay through the nose” for real estate investing know-how.

However, through diligent searching, these wanna-bees often find that this education in real estate investing is more readily obtained from other sources than they previously imagined.

Real estate investing is probably one of the most easily learned skills never taught in school. Real estate investing is probably one of the most prolific careers available on Planet Earth. Because families now live in houses instead of caves, houses available for fix up are everywhere. And probably nothing contributes to upgrading the deplorable housing conditions across America comparable to real estate investing in fix up properties.

The entrepreneur-minded aspirant who discovers the real estate investing industry often catches a vision of life-beyond-a-job. Books and online courses offer an alternative to expensive seminars and coaching.

Some employees should hold on to their job because that’s where they are best suited. But part-time real estate investing is an opportunity for anyone to check out personal congruity in the entrepreneurial world.

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at at http://www.CashinHouses.com/. Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online “Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques” - http://www.AAREIT.com.

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Lots of folks think it can’t be done.

How in the world can you buy a piece of real estate property without cash or credit? How is it possible to buy a $50,000 house or a $1 million dollar house if I don’t have an abundance of cash or an excellent credit rating?

Nothing stops a would-be investor cold in his tracks like “no cash or credit.” The prevailing perception is that “I can’t start real estate investing” because (1) I sure don’t have any money and (2) my credit is horrible!

The typical way real estate investing is accomplished is with an earnest money deposit to accompany the Purchase Contract and a down payment at closing. Many real estate investing tycoons, in wanting an offer accepted, make large earnest money deposits so the property seller will recognize the buyer as a serious investor. And because many real estate investing tycoons use real estate agents as their purchasing liaison, they provide sizable down payments out of which the sales commission will be paid.

Well, when I started my real estate investing career, I had neither cash nor credit. I had a serious business failure prior to my start in real estate investing, so I had to conjure up a way to succeed outside the traditional norm.

While I was well aware of the accepted procedures of earnest money deposits and down payments in real estate investing, I was forced by my situation to find alternatives. I did not realize at the time that commercial property is often purchased without any cash outlay at closing or even a credit check of the buyer.

So without any pocket change or a savings account, I began offering a $10 bill as my earnest money deposit! And I began offering no down payment at closing. My Purchase Contract offered simply the assumption of an existing loan! (In the 1980s when I started my real estate investing career, wrap mortgages were common, whereas today other legal instruments accomplish the same purpose.)

I don’t have to tell you that real estate agents were not exactly fond of me. In fact, in my highest week of tendering offers, I submitted 235 offers on MLS houses, and got 235 rejections. I mean, the realtors and brokers were infuriated at my non-traditional offers! Most went to great pains in writing “REJECTED” across the entire length (even both sides) of the legal-size Purchase Agreement I had laboriously filled out for submission. The young man “running” my offers (and his broker) were verbally blasted out of the saddle! I got NO acceptances from my 235 offers. Yet, I still managed to buy two properties from the 100% (humiliating) rejection. Two property owners approached me later and said, “I can’t accept your offer on that property I had listed with my real estate agent, but I have another house you can have on the same terms!”

That break-through began my trek into the Nothing-Down Wilderness that made me a multi-millionaire in three years. Once I realized it was persistence with a thimble-full of know-how, I forged on to discover motivated sellers who accepted my offers. I bought $1 million in properties that first year, another $1 million the second year, and $10 million by the 4th year.

It’s a shame that even some real estate investing tycoons don’t know how to buy with no cash and no credit. But the bottom line is that know-how still makes possible the impossible.

Buying property of any price is still achievable with no cash and no credit. It’s done every day in residential and commercial property. And because it is achievable, anyone can enter the real estate investing arena, regardless of the size of his or her wallet.

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at at http://www.CashinHouses.com/. Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online “Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques” - http://www.AAREIT.com/.

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Please don’t call it “flipping.”

Some real estate investors who practice the technique of buying property for immediate fixup and resale call it “flipping houses.” I have never liked this term, for it strikes me as reference to a gimmick. It seems “flippant!” It sounds like crude tagging of a very noble undertaking. Fixing up cheap properties is raising values in America’s housing! It is a profession of dignity. I think the makeover process deserves reverence for providing people with a better place to live.

Without proper maintenance, all housing deteriorates. You can find cheap houses everywhere in dire need of repair because of neglect and abuse. You can buy these depreciated houses inexpensively at a fair market discounted price because of their condition. You can often restore them to very near their original condition or even better with very little investment. And you can sell them at a fair value price that includes generous profits. The seller’s marketplace for those who want and need good housing is always swelling.

You can often take a house that has “No Class” and transform it into “First Class” housing with only paint and carpeting.

And you can take your makeover another step forward with simple, eye-appealing extras to create a “Dream House,” an “Ideal House,” a “Doll House,” and a “Model House.” You will be very proud of your work with this kind of makeover, and the real estate investing process will give you tremendous personal satisfaction, in addition to a good income.

My end-result objective in creating an appealing makeover is to create a finished product that I myself would enjoy as a home. If I can be satisfied with the makeover, I know that buyers will find that same satisfaction. To me, the real estate investing profession is a grand endeavor that extends far beyond the financial rewards. I have owned numerous businesses over the past 50 years, but I know of no other business venture that generates more personal gratification and financial prosperity than real estate investing in makeovers.

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/ He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director.

To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real-Estate-eBook.com/investing/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online “Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques” at http://www.AAREIT.com/

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Real estate investing begins when you move to the starting point.

Get ready.

Get set.

GO…

Are you ready to begin a real estate investing career? Or, are you already investing in real estate some, and want to expand your holdings? Or, are you investing in real estate a lot, but want to streamline your operation?

If you prefer real estate investing to a J-O-B, here’s a tip on the real estate investing gamble for hitting the jackpot, striking it rich, and quitting that day job!!!

As one of my professors use to say, “Let’s commence, to begin, to start, to get ready, to GO.”

Do you bet on the lottery?

I am amazed at how many people throw their money away buying lottery tickets with such slim chances at winning!

At the start of 2004, Tennessee cranked up its new state lottery. The news media fanfare went on for months. Tennessee hired the lottery director from Louisiana to set up Tennessee’s system, and this media publicity aired every night on the news as the public was whipped into a frenzy. Finally, the kickoff. Within just weeks, the announcement aired that Tennessee had taken in $50 million in lottery sales, and then $100 million in lottery sales. Newscasters quietly mentioned, however, that a whopping $100,000 had been paid out already in winnings. Wow! $50,000 in winnings compared to $100 million in ticket sales. What a windfall. (For the lottery, that is) Then came the subdued mention that some store owners were shutting down their recently-opened outlets out of conscience at seeing so many ticket purchases by regular customers who did not even have enough money to buy groceries! And all this ballyhoo was presented under the guise of lottery money to subsidize college scholarships.

Isn’t it great for kids to get a good education, and isn’t it greater that I can buy a lottery ticket - not in paying for my own kids’ education - but to help other folks’ kids get their education!

And in the meantime, I might strike it rich!!!

Come on. (Where is common sense logic?)

Some fishermen friends several years ago liked to boast about how much money they spent every year on lottery tickets in another state. When I pinned them down to their actual winnings, they admitted they spent over $10,000 a year buying tickets, and they CLAIMED they always made more in winnings than they spent for tickets. Funny thing, however, they couldn’t show me a tally of their win-loss record!

If you are a gambler who wants to make it big in some game of chance, you need to visit Vegas instead of reading this article.

But if you really want to win the big stakes without taking the big risks, real estate investing is a great game of chance!

Oh yeah, I’m a gambler, too, but I like REAL chances at winning. I want the stats on my side.

Twenty-five years ago I made one of the biggest gambles of my life by starting out with nothing and trying to hit the jackpot investing in real estate. It was a gigantic gamble because I had no cash and no credit. I was able to scrape together a $10 bill and a real estate contract, and I started shooting craps.

No, sellers didn’t like my offers. Most threw the contracts back in my face. Success did not come easily. I was often very discouraged and frustrated. I actually did not know at that time of anyone ever who had started investing with a $10 bill, and I have never heard of anyone since. But I never threw in the towel. And within a year, I had somehow bought almost one million dollars in rental properties!

That’s a gamble that paid off.

I like that kind of gamble.

Gamble when the odds are in your favor. http://CashinHouses.com/

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://CashinHouses.com/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online “Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques” - http://AAREIT.com/

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Investing in real estate is a highly lucrative venture that has helped scads of people to rake in loads of money. Though the profession may seem delectably easy, it’s certainly not for everyone. Real estate business also fosters several unscrupulous swindlers who make their living by duping newbie investors. Therefore, fresh entrants into the field of real estate must learn how to discern a genuine opportunity from a fake one.

Investing in real estate involves an awful lot of work, especially at the outset. So, it’s only for the serious few who are prepared to face the challenge and the uncertainty of the market. Wannabe investors must have access to the following when they embark into real estate investing:

Investors must have a significant working capital. It’s true that there are several finance firms that can lend you money for property investment, but you sure won’t wish to be in too much debt to start with.

You must have a good grasp of the real estate market and the legal procedures pertinent to the trade. In addition, possessing knowledge about the region in which you wish to purchase property is equally crucial.

Smart asset management and superlative negotiation skills are pivotal for investing in real estate. You would have to convince the homeowner to sell the property.

Access to a work force that can quickly spruce up a fixer-upper or another property that might have suffered some damage. Be it any trade or discipline, a quick turnaround is a plus.

A professional property inspector is always helpful when a distressed property needs to be inspected so as to ensure that it’s a viable deal.

As a newbie, you are most likely to follow the old-fashioned technique of buy-and-hold. In such a scenario, you would serve as the landlord for the property. The property would normally experience appreciation over time, and you may sell it after it has risen to a certain preferable value. During the time you hold the property, you may rent it to a tenant, thereby generating another monthly source of positive cash flow.

Having gained experience investing in real estate by following the above technique, you can move over to more lucrative deals, such as fixer-uppers and foreclosures. Finding these can be tough, and hence you would invariably require the services of a professional bird-dog (one who finds lucrative property deals for investors).

On the whole, investing in real estate can lead to ample gains. But it is imperative that you have the above outlined real estate tools in your arsenal.

Copyright © 2006 Joel Teo. All rights reserved. (You may publish this article in its entirety with the following author’s information with live links only.)

Joel Teo writes about making money with
Property Investment. His site,
http://www.RealEstateInvestment101.info provides a wealth of informative articles & Tips.

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Real estate investment is a great opportunity to earn profits and generate a cash flow. There is a slight difference between real estate investment and other types of investment. Real estate investment can be categorized as a long-term investment or short-term investment. Good real estate investor has ability to invest in real estate at right time.

Real estate investment requires proper knowledge and concentration to invest in good piece of land. Sometimes heavy investment gives wrong results in the future and sometimes with a small investment you can earn more. Investors should be alert at the time of investment in real estate.

If you’re going to rent your property you should have sufficient knowledge about tenant problems and requirements of tenants. You should be aware of all financial as well as legal requirements for your real estate. Investment goals are the primary factor for real estate investment. Decide your investment goals like what you want to do with your real estate.

Real estate market offers different types of strategies to invest in real estate. You should choose the best strategy as per your needs. Efficient real estate investors are able to make their fortunes in real estate business. People who invest in this business can live comfortably. They don’t have any tension about their survival. They can earn more and more profits with single right time real estate investment

Investment in real estate requires great commercial skills and knowledge like other businesses. Real estate business needs additional risk because sometimes you’re at risk in this business. Thats why a person with a great will power can easily handle this business. Forecasting in real estate investing can spoil your future so don’t overestimate your investment.

About Author: Author presents a website on Real Estate Investing. The website offers great knowledge about real estate investment and some tips on how to invest at right time. Also offers information about real estate investment training, real estate investing seminars, commercial real estate training, and a guide for real estate investing book. You can also visit his site about Real Estate License.

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Let’s get REAL about something - and quelch the LIES you have been told about Real Estate Investing!

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From a historical perspective, investing in real estate is almost as old as the construction of property itself. Indeed many business owners who created their wealth through companies then went on to diversify into real estate investments. In fact, over the years real estate investments have produced similar returns to those found in the stock market. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons:

First of all, and most obviously, the supply of building land around the world is limited, even when taking into account landfill opportunities. Since the world’s population is growing and the demand for housing ever increasing, then there would seem to be a never-ending and increasing requirement for real estate of all types.

Now let’s take a look at the mechanics of buying property. Here it can be seen that investing in real estate is quite different from most other traditional investments such as stocks. With real estate you can often borrow up to around 80 percent of the value of a property, sometimes even the full value and beyond under special circumstances. Thus a more modest investment of say 20 percent of the value can be used to buy and control the full value of the larger investment. Naturally, if the value of your investment increases, I.e. property prices rise, then the value of your real estate investment also increases. If so, then you are into profit, including that on the money you originally borrowed.

Naturally, there will be costs associated with real estate investing (such as legal fees and property maintenance, taxes, etc), but these are usually small in comparison with the potential gains.

Borrowing in order to invest in real estate makes real estate a type of leveraged investment. But if you know anything about leverage, you will realize that leveraged investments can also go against you. What, for example, if the property you purchased for $300,000 decreased in value to $240,000? Even though the value only dropped by 20 percent, you actually lose 100 percent of the original $60,000 investment. And if you have a mortgage on this property making up its full purchase price, you will actually need to pay money to the mortgage provider in order to cover the costs of selling the property. That’s in addition to the loss of the whole of your initial investment.

So, as you see, investing in real estate is something to be taken very seriously and should not be done with money which you might need for other things in the near future. Investment in property is more secure as a long-term investment. In the above example, if you could have held onto the property and not sold it, the loss would purely have been ‘on paper’. In all likelihood, over time the value of the property, unless grossly overpriced when you originally bought it, will rise and you will likely not only recover the full value of the initial investment, but also possibly make a nice profit when you do come to sell.

Another reason that real estate is a popular investment is that there are profits to be made from it whilst you are the owner. In addition to the tax-saving benefits (in that any tax due on the property’s increase in value doesn’t become due until it is eventually sold), you can also make additional money from renting out the property. This can often cover all your running costs of the property, plus providing a profit on top.

Unless you make a large down payment, early on during your ownership the monthly operating profit from your property business is likely to be small or non-existent. But over time this profit will increase as the amount of rent you can charge increases at a higher rate than the running costs. Naturally these profits will be subject to normal income tax rules.

A further benefit of investing in property is that you might be able to purchase cheaply a run-down or ‘distressed’ property and fix it up or develop it further. Properties like this can still be found if you look around carefully. Naturally, investing in this type of real estate can still produce large gains. This is something you certainly can’t do with traditional stock market investments.

However, returning to the initial question about whether real estate investing is still a viable option when current prices seem to be nearing their peak: yes, it can still be so, but you might need to be more creative and prepare to be in for the long haul. Property ‘flipping‘ methods that worked extremely successfully yesterday, might not work at all well tomorrow.

You might also consider diversifying into overseas real estate markets. Whilst this will require greater study and analysis, and there are many more legal issues to consider, seeking out what appear to be undervalued international real estate opportunities has the potential to be highly profitable if handled correctly.

Naturally, you should always seek the advice of professionals, both financial and legal, before investing in properties of any description, particularly when considering investing overseas. There might be major implications to your overall taxation. Risks can also be substantially higher when you are not there to oversee your investment in person.

You can learn more about real estate investing and Bianca Tavares’ guide to Florida property at Florida Real Estate.

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Investing in real estate has long been considered as a safe and high return investment. “Flipping” in real estate investing has become very popular over the last few years especially among the speculative real estate investors. Flipping refers to the buying and selling of real estate property within a short period for quick profits. Though the return on investment appears to be good, there is still a risk that your money could get locked-in in the absence of buyers.

Real estate prices have steadily increased since the beginning of this decade. However many signs point to the real estate boom coming to an end, so it may be wise to put real estate investing on hold. Investing in real estate, contrary to popular thinking, is a slow yielding investment. Hence real estate investors need to do proper planning and to conduct market analyses before investing.

Before investing in any property it is vital to study all the related documents of the property, to see the license of a broker if any, to check for liabilities etc. All contracts have to be in writing. All details such as the names of all parties, address of the property, area, purchase price, consideration etc. have to be entered in the contract along with all parties’ signatures. It is also prudent to hire a property lawyer to look into the intricacies of real estate contracts.

One good way of investing in real estate is to buy foreclosure properties. Foreclosure is the process in which a bank or a creditor sells the property of the homeowner to recover the loan, which the owner has not been able to pay back.

A lease to purchase contract is considered the best type of real estate investing. This type of contract basically allows the tenant to lease a particular property for some period, and at the end of the period he has the option of purchasing the property at an amount decided at the signing of the contract. The tenant pays an initial non-refundable deposit. If the value of the property goes up at the end of the leasing period, the he may want to buy the property at its original value. If the value has not increased he can opt not to buy it. During this period he can also rent the property to someone else. By this method, the investor takes a lot of the risk off himself as he does not have to commit a large sum of investment capital not apply for a big loan.

Currently, there are a few areas where the real estate market is just too overheated and investing in real estate is just too risky. They are Miami, Las Vegas, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Sacramento, Boston, Washington DC, and San Diego. Other “hot” areas also include San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle. The safer, less volatile areas for investing with good ROI are Dallas, Cleveland, Houston, Columbus, Omaha, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh.

For more on Investing, visit investment-expert.info, investing-pro.info and premier-invest.info.

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