Real Estate Investing - An Alternative To Traditional Stock Market Investment

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.

About the Author

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

A Real Estate Investing Primer

A Real Estate Investing Primer

 by: Adem Hamidovic

There are a great many books and web sites devoted to real estate investing out there, but most of them concentrate on one specific area of investing. It’s often hard to find a general description of real estate investing, one that lists the various real estate investing strategies and how to get started. That’s what this article will set out to do.

Before beginning, you must understand that real estate investing is not a get rich quick scheme. Real estate investing can, and will, make you wealthy, but it certainly won’t happen overnight and it will require work. As you perfect your technique and gain experience, the amount of work needed to gain a lot of money will reduce, but it will take effort and persistance to make it there.

If you’re completely new to real estate investing then the only sort of investing strategy you’re likely aware of is rental properties.

Landlording has been around since there have been houses and people to rent them to, and it will continue to be a wealth builder. In fact, most of the ‘no money down’ real estate strategies you hear about still include rentals as part of their plan. Still, there are other ways to make money from real estate investing out there.

The next most ‘traditional’ method is to buy a fixer-upper, fix it up, and then sell it for a profit. This is commonly referred to as ‘rehabbing’ and is a very good way to make a lot of money in a relatively short period of time. Most rehabbers won’t even look at a property unless they can make at least $20,000 of profit, and this is usually within 3-4 months time. Rehabbers tend to be experienced investors with available money, or have partners who help provide any extra cash required.

But if you’re just starting out you likely won’t have access to large amounts of money. One way to get involved in this area of real estate investing without needing any money at all is to ‘flip’ houses to these rehabbers. What this entails is you going out and finding these fixer-uppers, noting all the work required to fix the place up. You then place a low offer in to the owner, taking into account the fix up price and some built in profit. Once you have the house under contract you then flip it to a rehabber for a small fee. This can result in several thousand dollars for you, without you having to spend a dime. ‘Flipping’ properties can be a great way to start your real estate investing career.

Another ‘no money down’ technique that’s popular on the late night infomercials is called ‘lease optioning’. This is basically a rent to own strategy that allows you to control a property without ever taking ownership of it. It’s a slightly more complicated strategy that warrents its own article, but it does allow you to make money in several different ways, each without ever having to spend any of your own money. If you’re not put off by longer term investments then lease options are definately worth more research.

There are other strategies that involve foreclosures and getting the home owner to sign the deed over to you, but for now I’d suggest learning more about flipping and lease options as entry-level real estate investing strategies.

How do you find properties that would make good real estate investments? Again, an entire article can be devoted to that, but there are basically two ways: you go looking for them, or you get them to come to you. The first way involves reading the newspaper classifieds and scanning the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). This is where having a great real estate agent is a must - they can get you more details on homes than you can view on the mls website, and can often let you know of great deals before they even become available to the general public.

Having home owners contact you means setting up an advertising campaign. This can involve placing ads in the newspaper, placing bandit signs at strategic locations around town, starting a direct mail campaign, etc. There are many ways to let people know that there’s a new real estate investor in town, and it would be in your best interest to try each of them to see which ones work best for you.

Whether you decide to go looking for deals, have them come to you, or both, they key is to be persistant. Real estate investing is a numbers game - most of the time you won’t be able to make the deal work, but every time you do it translates into thousands of dollars for you. The more owners you talk to, the more deals you’ll be able to do, the more money you’ll make.

I hope this article gives you a bit of an idea of what the world of real estate investing is like. There’s a lot to learn out there, and all of it is very interesting. Find the area that interests you the most, then get out there and start talking to home owners. Don’t be discouraged if you’re getting turned down a lot - just remember that when it does pay off, it will pay off big!

About The Author Adem Hamidovic is a part time real estate investor and operator of www.ProfitPiggy.com, a website devoted to new and experienced real estate investors alike. admin@profitpiggy.com

The First Steps In Real Estate Investing

With all the stories of people making tremendous amounts of money in real estate it’s no wonder why so many are looking at real estate as an investment vehicle. It offers more security than the stock market, provides great potential returns, offers tax benefits and let’s not forget; it sounds cool to be ‘in real estate’. Everybody can buy and sell stocks from their phone or computer these days. But real estate, now that’s something else.

One of the challenges that many are faced with is putting up the money to acquire a piece of property. Although in reality this is usually not the biggest obstacle. You might say “Hey, what do you mean, not an obstacle. I would love to invest in real estate, but I just can’t afford to!” The point is that hardly anyone who buys a piece of real estate has enough money in their account to pay for it. That’s where your banker comes in. Let’s face it. Do you know anyone that owns their own home? I mean truly own it? Probably not. Sure, you know a lot of people that have a house to their name, but wait until they get behind on their monthly mortgage payments and you will soon find out who really owns their house. That’s right, the bank. So if these people can use the bank’s money to buy a house, why can’t you?

Now ‘owning’ your own home may sound like a somewhat obvious way to get started in real estate, but it is also a very good way to do so. You might say “Duh…” But apparently this little step is overlooked by a lot of people. Just take a look at how many people are still renting a property instead of buying one. Now of course the relation between rent and housing prices varies from country to country and even from area to area. But wherever you go you will still find people renting, because in their mind “they don’t have enough money to buy a house.” In reality it would be much cheaper for them to buy!

When you rent, you are pretty much flushing your money down the toilet. Of course you are getting the pleasure of living, but the point is you’re not building anything long term. Every dollar you spend on rent is a dollar you will never see again. Whereas if you own your own home, instead of paying rent you would be paying for your mortgage. Even though there is a lot of variety in mortgages these days, the basics of practically all mortgages are more or less the same. Every month you make a payment which consists of two parts: interest and principle. The interest part can be compared to rent. Those dollars are gone with the wind and you will never hear from them again. However, the part of the payment that goes to the principle is money you keep. Every dollar that is used to pay off the principal is a dollar you put in your own pocket.

So if you’re thinking about getting started in real estate and you don’t ‘own’ your own house yet… Change it, and get some experience. It’s a great first step towards building your capital and in many cases, it just makes more sense financially. It can also supply a range of opportunities for accelerating the process of building your net worth. When real estate prices go up, so does the value of your property. Whereas the money you owe the bank, your mortgage, remains the same. In other words this helps you build your net worth. Compare this to people that are paying rent… Their net worth does nothing. However their landlord’s net worth is doing very nicely in this scenario and he or she will probably love you for it. So if you get a warm fuzzy feeling about making somebody else rich at your own expense… Keep renting. If you would rather build your own capital instead… Buy your own house!

Many home owners have accumulated more money through appreciation of their property than by working a full time job for many years. Now before you go out and buy the first property you lay eyes on, don’t forget that some security measures are in order here. As you may or may not know, real estate prices do not always go up, and certainly not in a straight line. Yep, this can be shocker to some people, as well as an ugly reminder for those who overlooked this minor detail in the past. If for some reason you would have to sell your home in a down market, it can be a costly adventure. You wouldn’t be the first to end up with a house worth considerably less than the mortgage resting on it. So make sure to keep some slack. In the long run real estate prices have always been on the rise, but in any cycle there are down periods. By keeping some slack and being patient you will be able to sit through these times and profit from the long term up-trend.

About the Author

Jim Mack is an expert on business, health and well being. He regularly contributes articles on these subjects. The Best Investing Tips

Gerogia Real Estate Investing

Real Estate investors in Georgia have been quite successful over the past several years due to a very stable real estate market that has been able to persevere through the latest real estate market slowdown. Many investors across most parts of the state have realized the tremendous opportunities before them. For example, coastal areas of Georgia from Tybee Island to Brunswick, Georgia continue to see excellent investment opportunities and inland areas such as Macon and Columbus, Georgia that contain many charming residential areas that were in need of restoration still have many areas left for the savvy real estate investor to make an excellent living while helping restore areas to their former condition.

There are many ways that one can achieve success as a real estate investor. One method is to purchase properties in need of repair at a discount and renovate them for a quick sale. Many investors refer to this type of investing as flipping. Another method with more of a long term strategy for real estate investing is to purchase properties and rent them to tenants who can offset the mortgage payment. The return on investment is quite different from one method to the next and as a landlord, you will need to plan out a long term strategy that begins with a methodical approach to understanding the real estate market and the potential appreciation a particular property might have over a longer period of time. Monthly income on one rental property is usually not enough to sustain oneself so if you are interested in becoming a landlord, you must familiarize yourself with the process and plan on long term passive income from a property that you have rented with a positive cash flow.

The future looks good in Georgia for real estate investors, and, with a strong state economy coupled with a rapidly growing population, investors should have plenty more opportunities to continue investing in real estate for years to come.

Is Business Ownership In Your Future?

Is Business Ownership In Your Future? Submitted By: Tim Knox

T he last time we met I told you about the U.S. Department of Labor?s prediction that within the next ten to fifteen years fifty percent of the American workforce will consist of home workers, independent contractors, consultants, telecommuters, freelancers, and of course, entrepreneurs. Think about that for a moment, especially if you are a diehard nine-to-fiver who can?t imagine yourself leaving the comfort of a regular job to try something different. The workplace of the future is either going to be an exciting or dreadful place, and it?s up to you which side of the coin you fall on. You see, what the Labor Department doesn?t say, but I believe to be true, is that those who find themselves earning a living in non-traditional careers will do so for one of two reasons: they either freely chose to throw off the shackles of the traditional nine-to-five or they were forced to do so because they were casualties of the future?s changing work models. Layoffs, downsizing, outsourcing, work force reduction, and position elimination: all very nice politically-correct terms that mean one thing: you had better be open to changing the way you think about work because, my brothers and sisters, the times they are a? changing. The point of our discussion last time focused on those of you who may one day choose the entrepreneurial path. There is a process for going from worker bee to entrepreneur wannabe and it begins with a healthy dose of self-assessment (look inward to determine if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur) followed by the determination of what kind of business best suits your situation and personality, how you will fund the business, and the writing of a solid business plan. Now let?s talk about the nuts and bolts of the process: finding a location, lining up vendors, hiring and managing employees, dealing with customers, creating a marketing strategy … hmm, this could turn into a very long column. Let me see if I can abbreviate the process in four paragraphs or less. If your business will be a brick and mortar, nothing is as important as location. What might be a great location for a shoe store might be a horrible location for a donut shop. What may appear to be a busy location in the morning might be a ghost town in the afternoon. You should rely on experts for this important piece of the process. Work with a commercial realtor or business broker to find a location that meets your specific needs. Next, if yours will be a product-driven business, your success could hinge on the quality, price, and availability of the products you sell. You must establish strong relationships with reliable vendors who can provide an ample supply of the products your customers demand. Always be cultivating relationships with new vendors. Never rely on a single source for products because sources have a tendency to dry up over time. Next comes the hiring and managing of employees. Like your location and product, employees can make or break your business. Knowledgeable employees who know the value of - and deliver - exceptional customer service are like nuggets of gold. Unfortunately, they are also as hard to find. Don?t hire your wife?s brother or your best friend?s son. It?s easier to find a new best friend than a new customer. Hire based on experience and expertise and train every employee well. Set expectations high and most important of all, lead by example, not by the book. Finally, the big question: if you build it will they come? Afraid not, my new entrepreneur friend. You must have a killer marketing plan that will bring the world - or at least your piece of the world - to your door. You can have the best product in the world, but if you don?t tell anyone about it, you won?t sell a thing. Creating a killer marketing plan really isn?t that hard. Just ask yourself questions like: who is my target customer and what is the best way to reach them? What can I do to stand out from the crowd? What can I do differently? How can I get noticed? And how can I do that without spending an arm and leg on advertising? Two great books on this topic are Purple Cow by Seth Godin and There?s A Customer Born Every Minute: P.T. Barnum?s Secrets To Business Success by Joe Vitale. Of course there?s far more to going from employee to entrepreneur than I can cover here in just a couple of columns, which is why I wrote a book on the topic called Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama. Shameless self-promotion aside, I hope this will help you decide if future entrepreneurship is for you. No matter what path you choose remember this: the workplace is changing. You must be prepared and willing to change with it or you?ll end up a statistic on another government list, this one stamped: Unemployed. About the Author: Tim Knox Entrepreneur, Radio Host “Check Out Tim’s New Radio Show!” http://www.timknoxshow.com Preorder Tim?s New Book: Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama http://www.timknox.com/amazon/ #BREAK# Tags: American Workforce, Business Ownership, Department Of Labor, Earning A Living, Entrepreneurial Path, Independent Contractors, Labor Department, Layoffs, Marketing Strategy, Nuts And Bolts, Self Assessment, Shackles, Tim Knox, Traditional Careers, U S Department, U S Department Of Labor, Wannabe, What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur, Work Models, Worker Bee For A New Real Estate Investor The Idea Of Investing In Foreclosures Can Look Temptingly Attractive April 29, 2009 by Kenny Santos   Filed under Real Estate Investing 1 Comment You might be looking for “How to make a zillion dollars in 3 months”, well, you won’t find that here but if you want some practical tips, you came to the right place. Read on … To the newbie real estate investor, foreclosures can look temptingly attractive. Who wouldn’t want to make a quick profit of 50% or more? But whether a foreclosure deal is really sugar or merely sweet-tasting arsenic depends on a list of complex factors. Foreclosure is an officially permitted process in which a mortgage holder repossess a property due to failure to pay on a loan. Some states in the U.S. allow ’strict’ foreclosure ? the borrower has a definite time in which to bring the debt up to date, after this, the title reverts back to the lending institution. You want to stay out of any legal processes going on concerning a property. Don?t get tempted to jump in and help the current owner in hopes of partial or whole ownership, this is suicidal. Pick another great deal. Never fall in love with a property. You have to maintain a business-like demeanor in all your dealings. Be sure you understand that in many foreclosure proceedings, a borrower might have the ‘right of redemption’. This legal claim will let them have a particular amount of time in which to ‘cure the loan’. That is, they are allowed to make back payments, shore up credit, etc., and then they are allowed to reclaim property title to, and the possession of, the property. Beware! As soon as the foreclosure procedure is complete, or at minimum unavoidable, you may initiate an action plan to obtain the real estate. Watch for transactions in which, at least, a Notice of Default has been given out. Public sales on foreclosed possessions are common but can be complicated. Always do your homework before actually making a bid on a property. There’s no alternative for gaining first hand familiarity of the physical state and legal standing of a property. Be sure to take into account that foreclosures are sold ‘as is ‘, or, in its present condition. Contrasting other property sales, no warranties are made available and no title insurance approved. At least, you’ll be required to have a professional inspection carried out, even if you are a well-informed investor. Some investors are, of course, qualified inspectors themselves ? besides wearing various other hats. The property does not need to be free of every little fault, but you’ll want to be aware of the roof - does it or does it not need to be replaced, that the plumbing is ok, there are no severe foundation cracks, or possibility for flooding, etc. If any of those are there, they can be satisfactory if you’re searching for a ‘fixer-upper’ and are prepared to invest the time and funds to make repairs. Mark down your offer for that reason. Soon you will hear about a ’short sale’ deal. That is, this comes about when a lender is prepared to allow lower cash settlement for a property than is outstanding on the loan now. And yet another kind of foreclosure situation is the REO ? real estate owned (by the lender). Usually these are properties that were auctioned but no one bought them. You can, potentially, get an extremely good deal, but you will need to exercise extreme caution and keep your eyes wide open. Ok, so bear in mind to follow a line of investigation. Have a systematic inspection done and complete a satisfactory title search. Any key defects or impediments in the form of tax or other liens have to factor big in your strategy. Real estate, like other endeavors in life, requires diligence and a grasp of the fundamentals to be successful. Learn to tell the difference between a good deal and one to walk away from without losing your shirt in the process. All things considered, real estate investing is still the best game in town. So go out and make your fortune and say ‘Hi’ to Donald Trump for me! Find out how to make money investing in foreclosures and flipping real estate properties by visiting http://www.successful-real-estate-investing-tips.info , a popular real estate investing website that offers advice, tips and free real estate investing advice. Tags: Amount Of Time, Arsenic, Definite Time, Demeanor, Familiarity, Foreclosure Procedure, Foreclosure Proceedings, Foreclosures, Homework, Legal Claim, Legal Processes, Lending Institution, Mortgage Holder, Notice Of Default, Possession, Possessions, Quick Profit, Real Estate Investor, Right Of Redemption, Zillion Dollars So You Wanna Be a Real Estate Investor… Learn how Thursday May 7th. April 28, 2009 by Kenny Santos   Filed under Real Estate Investing Leave a Comment A former miner, through his company Sell Quick Idaho, which specializes in pre-foreclosure, wholesales, and short sales, Ben has bought and sold over 250 single family homes in the past 3 years earning them well over $3 Million dollars profit! A speaker for many Workshops in Idaho and Washington, Ben enjoys sharing his story with others and has assisted countless individuals realize that anything is possible with the right education and system, no matter how far you have to climb. On top of the real estate investing, Ben and his wife have earned well over $1 Million dollars in CASH in the last 12 months assisting others in accomplishing their dreams! Date: Thursday, May 7, 2009 Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm Location: SLCC Miller Campus Street: 9750 South 300 W City/Town: Sandy, UT RSVP: Kenny Santos 801.755.9297 Tags: 1 Million Dollars, 12 Months, 3 Years, Countless Individuals, Dreams, Foreclosure, Investing, Personal Invitation, Pre Foreclosure, Real Estate Investor, Right Education, Rsvp, Single Family, Wholesales 7 Tips For Real Estate Investing Success April 28, 2009 by Kenny Santos   Filed under Real Estate Investing Leave a Comment 1. Find out what you really want from your investments. Set goals. Where do you want to be 5 years from now? Do you want a much larger nicer house for your family? How about waltzing into a car dealership and paying cash? Picture what you want. Your investing needs to provide a living -and a lifestyle. You need to be able to look forward and enjoy your life and your family. If you want to coach your children’s sports teams, your real estate needs to give you the time, not steal the time from those precious events. With proper planning you can learn how to out-source but you’ve got to know where you want to go before you can get there. 2. Start simple and keep it simple Sometimes it’s too easy to lose focus because of information overload. Our generation is being bombarded with more knowledge than any in history. And it’s only going to get worse. Real estate is basic investing. Stick to the fundamentals. Go to the old gurus such as Tyler Hicks and read the old books. Markets come and go, but the basics never change. 3. Do your investing one small step at a time Don’t try to compete with Donald Trump with your first property. Start small. Get your first property going. Then move on to the second and the third. Don’t worry about what the stars and experts in online forums are doing. They’ve been at it for a long time. Naturally they can do more. And you will too if you don’t allow your investing to get too complicated. 4. Focus on one aspect of investing for six months What are you really interested in? Foreclosures, Buy and Hold, Short Sales? How is the market doing in your area of interest? Concentrate on one type of investment and soak up everything you can about it for six months. Not only will you become an expert but it will be almost second nature to you. 5. Design your investing around your strengths and weaknesses. Okay, this is the challenging one. We’ve been taught all our lives that winners do what they hate. It’s a conditioning process. In order to get it done, we’ve got to make ourselves do the dog work. That’s okay for football or high school algebra, but real estate investing is different. You need to like it. If there are parts of it you don’t like, don’t get bent out of shape about it. Sub those parts out. Out sourcing is one of the most valuable lessons you can teach yourself. Don’t get upset about landlording if it’s not your thing. Out source that too. The most important point is to invest. That’s where the money is. 6.Stop analyzing and buy something There are investors who paralyze themselves to death with market analysis. Another way of putting it is they are fearful of doing it. Jump in. Get your feet wet. Sure, you might make some mistakes but if you read the right real estate materials and study the right courses, as well as networking, you can cut those mistakes down to miniscule small potatoes. 7. Set aside some properties for your lifetime profits. This is your own personal bank. Whether you’re a flipper, wholesaler, rehabber and you want to move those properties fast, this advice still applies to you. It’s amazing to me how some investors let perfectly great properties get out of their hands because they want to make a quick profit. Occasionally, keep a few of them. Hold on and watch them appreciate. They may truly pay for your old age. Alice Stevens is a real estate investor with 19 years experience in property management. She writes regularly for the lively and quick-witted blog, Real Estate Windfall. http://www.realestatewindfall.com Tags: Basic Investing, Car Dealership, Donald Trump, Foreclosures, Gurus, Investments, Lifestyle, Long Time, Old Books, Online Forums, Real Estate, S Sports, Second Nature, Six Months, Sports Teams, Step At A Time, Strengths And Weaknesses, Time Don, Tyler Hicks, Worry Real Estate Investing - Utilizing Online Resources April 28, 2009 by Kenny Santos   Filed under Real Estate Investing Leave a Comment Have you ever considered investing in real estate? There’s no doubt that real estate investing can be very lucrative, but it’s also important to realize there are risks involved. The more you know about potential pitfalls, the better your chances of avoiding them. One of the best ways to learn about property investing without spending loads of money is to check out real estate investing online. Once you start looking around, you’ll discover there are thousands of sites dedicated to real estate investing online. You can find hints, tips, ideas and advice, as well as learn about all sorts of strategies for investing in property successfully. Many sites also contain the personal stories of investors and their deals, giving you the opportunity to learn from both their successes and failures. Although it’s important not to get so bogged down in learning that you never start your own real estate investing journey, it’s certainly a good idea to get an understanding of property investing before you put your own money on the line. The types of real estate investing sites online fall into a few broad categories. There are general information sites, which give you an overview of real estate investing and some general information. Other sites are dedicated to specific investing strategies, such as “no money down”. Some sites run by real estate companies can also contain a lot of useful information for investors. Finally, there are sites run by property investing experts, some of which have plenty of free information to get you started, while others require you to buy a course or attend a seminar. Unfortunately there are plenty of real estate investors who take the plunge and start buying property without really understanding what they’re doing. Nobody can ever give you a guarantee that an investment will be a success, but certainly learning a lot of the do’s and dont’s studying real estate investing online helps to tip the balance in favor of you being successful. It’s important to be positive and confident when investing in property, and knowledge helps you to feel that way. So don’t put off your investing career any longer. Visit a search engine, type in “real estate investing” and get started today. It’s a fascinating journey that can also be very exciting and lots of fun. Enjoy the journey! If you want to learn more about investing in real estate, click over to David’s site at http://www.makemoneyfromrealestate.com You can also get a free book and tips newsletter at http://www.makemoneyfromrealestate.com/Newsletter.html Tags: All Sorts, Better Your Chances, Investing In Property, Investing In Real Estate, Investing Online, Investing Strategies, Investing Tip, Journey, Loads Of Money, Money Down, No Doubt, Online Resources, Own Real Estate, Plunge, Potential Pitfalls, Real Estate Companies, Real Estate Investing, Real Estate Investors, Start Investing, Successes And Failures Mastering One Of The Hardest Parts Of Real Estate Investing - Getting The Great Deal April 27, 2009 by Kenny Santos   Filed under Real Estate Investing Leave a Comment Real estate investing has become a very ?in? thing for most people to do because it makes so much sense. As a result of this demand, there are dozens of real estate books and courses for new and existing real estate investors to study. Most of the real estate investing techniques do work well and many folks have been very, very successful executing real estate transactions practically every day. It is true that real estate investing is a wonderful opportunity where great success can be yours. But just in case your incoming home seller leads for your real estate business are fewer than you?d prefer, don?t be discouraged and don?t blame yourself. You may just be a ?normal? real estate investor. For one thing, you should be aware that you might be part of the current real estate investor ?herd?. That statement may sound a little strange but it?s meant to make you think about what may be going on around you. For example, do you ever feel like you?re using the same prospecting strategies as other real estate investors, facing the same struggles as other real estate investors, and making the same limited progress as many other real estate investors? Perhaps it?s because there are so many real estate investors trying to get ahead by ?getting the great deal? but ironically that same group of investors are using the exact same strategies to get that great deal. Whenever you have a large group of people “into” a certain opportunity, like real estate investing, you must find an ?opposite? way to approach it. In the beginning of my real estate investing career, I went from seminar to seminar, looking for that “magic formula” that was really going to increase my business. I learned a lot about the mechanics of real estate deals just like I learned a lot of theory in college. But I never really learned ?how? to get the deals to come to me. To remedy this problem, I studied aggressive marketing and business strategies for about two years. As a result, one giant discovery that I made was the absolute need to separate myself from the real estate investor ?herd? in every possible way. Meaning, eliminate the competition for deals between me and the other real estate investors around me. I did this easier than you may think just by changing my ?positioning?. Your positioning involves what level of control you have on your incoming business, and that largely determines your success. For example, can you control how many deals come your way? Do you have people calling you or contacting you through your various lead generating ?funnels?? Do you have influence on this process or not? If you?re like a large percentage of investors, you?re probably always chasing down the deals instead of having the deals come to you. When you have control of your lead generating process and it produces leads for you, you can then position yourself to take advantage of this new incoming business. If you don?t have your lead generating process doing this, make it your # 1 focus until it works for you. Then you?ll have the ability to go to step # 2 which involves choosing exactly what to do with all your leads. There are many real estate investors who literally have their phones ringing off the hook with sellers calling them and then there are the ?investors? buying overpriced homes just because they?re not educated on how to get good leads. Which one do you want to be? Mike Coraluzzi has been called the ?lead generation expert? for investors who don?t have time to chase down deals. He is the author of the ?No-Time Real Estate Investor Marketing System? http://notimerealestateinvestor.com a lead generating system that?s specifically designed to bring deals to the part-time real estate investor. Mike is a successful investor and coach who owns companies in Real Estate and Marketing. Tags: Aggressive Marketing, Business Strategies, Career, Current Real Estate, Dozens, Estate Business, Estate Deals, Existing Real Estate, Herd, Large Group, Leads, Magic Formula, Mechanics, Opportunity, Real Estate Books, Real Estate Investing, Real Estate Investor, Real Estate Investors, Real Estate Transactions, Success Next Page » eNews & Updates Sign up to receive breaking news as well as receive other site updates! Get Trained Fill out the form below and be my personal guest at a Free Real Estate Training called THE INVESTOR FORUM. Recent Posts Real Estate Investing: Types Of Leasing Agents Real Estate Investing: Statistics Challenge Murky Media Coverage Real Estate Investing ? 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