Real Estate Investing in a Down Market

Timing may be everything, but is now the right time to buy real estate, given the steep declines seen in the housing marketing in recent months? Some real estate investment professionals seem to think so. In fact, the smart investors are buying, buying, buying properties right now. Why?

First, let's define what we mean by 'investing,' says real estate mentor and author Minh Pham, whose popular Washington, DC real estate seminars pack convention rooms with novice real estate investors eager to learn how to make money with real estate. 'Are you intending to be a knowledgeable, well-educated buyer of under-priced properties and stay in the real estate market for the long term in order to see excellent returns? Or are you looking for a 'get-rich-quick' scheme? If so, my real estate seminars are not for you.'

Pham, who has been nicknamed 'the Bruce Lee of real estate investing,' explains that buying a cheap property in the hopes of immediately reselling for a lot more money than you paid is speculating, not investing. And speculating is as risky as buying a lottery ticket. No credible real estate investment coach will teach you how to speculate, because there is no way to guarantee profits.

But that doesn't mean you can't start seeing profits in a fairly short space of time – you just need to know what you are doing.

Becoming a successful real estate investor involves getting educated, doing excellent research, and putting together a well-thought-out strategy. This may seem like homework to some, but for those who have done it the financial rewards are more than making up for the time spent learning. Can you make money in real estate in a down economy? Absolutely. Can you do it without knowing what you are doing? Absolutely not.

Worst case scenario, you could lose thousands of dollars and end up being very disillusioned, as many people are right now as a result of not really understanding what they were doing. There are rules to any game, and if you don’t take the time the learn them you could lose your money.

According to Pham and other real estate investing experts, in order to be successful it's important to learn how to make money in both up and down markets. You need survival strategies for when the economy is bad, and know how to win in a competitive market when the economy is booming. "Don’t fear the competition – embrace it," advises Pham. "If you see a lot of investors competing for deals, then know you’re not the only one that sees the potential for profit. There are more than enough good deals to go around. At any given time there are hundreds of properties for sale in local market niches, enough for every savvy investor to make the profits they’re looking for.

Even in today's uncertain climate, novice real-estate investors are making money, especially in smaller properties that are easy to acquire and manage. Owning property that pays for itself is what it's all about. But how do you find those kinds of properties, and how do you recognize them when you do? Perhaps it's time to start attending some reputable real estate seminars.

Minh Pham’s next real estate investing seminar will be held in Alexandria, VA on March 14th, 2009. He will be giving away his popular real estate investing handbook, 'Turnkey Profits Using Lease Purchase, Subject To’s, and Other Creative Real Estate Investing Techniques' to seminar attendees. To reserve a seat got to http://www.realestatementoring.eventbrite.com or call (888) 834-6873.

Wayne J. Porter has been a freelance writer for over 20 years and owns a newsletter-writing business, Two Cups Connect, named for his love of coffee. He has written about every subject under the sun, moon and stars, including real estate investing, health care, finance, software, gardening, adoption, the US constitution and renovating old houses.