Appraisals and inspections, marketing, renters, rehabs… it can all add up to a huge headache. But real estate investing is still exciting and lucrative. What to do? Consider investing in real estate-based financial instruments instead.
REITs
One of the oldest modern forms is a REIT — Real Estate Investment Trust. REITs are mutual funds that invest in [...]

According to a recent study in The Economist, residential property investment in developed countries amounted to $48 trillion, while commercial real estate investment (CREI) was ‘only’ $14 trillion. Though the number may be smaller, CREI is much more complex.
Real estate, unlike stocks or other investments, is always local — property is always somewhere, somewhere specific. [...]

For decades the way to finance a property purchase was 80-20, 20 percent down, 80 percent on loan. Certainly, there have been many who put more down, but 20 percent was considered the bare minimum. Happily, things have changed.
There are now a dozen or more ways to finance a property purchase, whether for pure investment [...]

To the novice real estate investor foreclosures often look irresistibly 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 a legal procedure in which a mortgage holder reclaims a property due [...]

With the growth of the Internet, the prospect of ‘going’ FSBO — For Sale By Owner — as a method for selling your home is more attractive than ever.
One of the largest expenses involved in selling a property is the payment of an agent’s commission — often in the 6% range. But agents do earn [...]

It’s often been claimed that Real Estate investing is one of the easiest ways to make money. In one way, that’s true. With a modest financial investment and a fair amount of sweat equity, a property can be bought and sold for a healthy profit and the future still looks pretty good.
But easier is not [...]

Since the exponential expansion of products in the 1980s, investments now come in a bewildering variety. Sorting through the technical details and balancing the risks against potential gain of any given mix is a job for professionals. But short of gaining an advanced degree, the educated investor can still improve the odds by following some [...]

According to one study 23 percent of all homes sold in 2004 were purchased as investments. Considering the historical returns, and the high percentage increase in prices over the last few years, this shouldn’t be surprising. But there are several ways to profit from an investment in property.
‘Flipping’ is the practice of buying property, then [...]

Buy low, sell high. Anyone in any market aims for that, but few succeed. The only reasonable conclusion is it’s easier said than done. So, to be part of that group of ‘we happy few’, consider some of these ways to maximize your return.
In any business deal there are essentially only two ways to achieve [...]

Real Estate is a complicated business. Every facet is controlled, in most countries, by numerous legal restrictions and requirements and there are many people involved in any deal, some with vested and competing interests. But you can also make a lot of money and, in some ways, a lot easier than in many other businesses.
Before [...]