Here in California, where I live, people were literally and figuratively banging down doors to get into homes five years ago. And they were paying way more than the homes were worth. I was one of these people. Having just moved to LA and wanting to buy something rather than rent, I spent way too much on a home and got into an interest only mortgage.

I knew I couldn’t afford the place I ended up with. But, they gave me the mortgage so maybe they knew something I didn’t. My house was overpriced and my mortgage was way too pricey and not a good deal at that. I had little equity and no more coming anytime soon. Then, my wife and I had our second daughter and my wife left her job to stay home. We lost her full-time salary and were heading up-creek further without a paddle. We were literally sitting on collapsing furniture with home space heaters at our feet because we couldn’t afford to repair anything when it broke.

As everyone knew it would, the housing market took a dive and prices dropped along with the economy’s deflation. Our condo was worth much less than what we paid, although our mortgage was still the same amount. We couldn’t survive in our current situation and we couldn’t make money selling our house if anyone even agreed to buy it. So, after filing bankruptcy we attempted a short sale.

Now we are in a rental and much better off but we learned many valuable lessons. If I had it to do all over again, here is what I would do.

I would buy an income property, something that I could put a renter in that would cover my mortgage. I would buy a slight fixer-upper and spruce it up with some cheap home decor accents and maybe a coat of paint. But, most importantly, I would buy something below my price range, taking the renter into consideration and get a mortgage that earned equity and had a good rate either fixed or with a long arm.

The last thing I would want is the worry of a mortgage month to month that I couldn’t cover. The only thing I would want is a home with real value that anyone could see and I would be able to hang onto it long enough to make it a really great resale property, whatever the economy threw our way.

I live in California, where the prices of homes five years ago was way above the assessed value and people routinely had buyers with fat checkbooks knocking down their door to get into homes. Unfortunately, I had just moved to Los Angeles, and I needed a place to live. Going with the conventional wisdom of buying is better than renting, I bought property.

I knew I couldn’t afford the place I ended up with. But, they gave me the mortgage so maybe they knew something I didn’t. My house was overpriced and my mortgage was way too pricey and not a good deal at that. I had little equity and no more coming anytime soon. Then, my wife and I had our second daughter and my wife left her job to stay home. We lost her full-time salary and were heading up-creek further without a paddle. We were literally sitting on collapsing furniture with home space heaters at our feet because we couldn’t afford to repair anything when it broke.

As was bound to happen, the housing market and economy collapsed. Our home devalued quickly but our mortgage payments did not. Now, not only could we not afford the home, we couldn’t sell it at a profit and barely sell it at a loss. We went through a bankruptcy to get rid of our debt and decided that to free ourselves up from all financial burdens, we would sell the home through a short sale if we could.

Today we rent and are on the path to recovery. We did learn many lessons and had I to do it all again, I would do it very different.

I would buy an income property, something that I could put a renter in that would cover my mortgage. I would buy a slight fixer-upper and spruce it up with some cheap home decor accents and maybe a coat of paint. But, most importantly, I would buy something below my price range, taking the renter into consideration and get a mortgage that earned equity and had a good rate either fixed or with a long arm.

The last thing I would want is the worry of a mortgage month to month that I couldn’t cover. The only thing I would want is a home with real value that anyone could see and I would be able to hang onto it long enough to make it a really great resale property, whatever the economy threw our way.

Real Estate Investing

The term real estate investing likely brings a number of things to mind. You likely leap to real estate investing as real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans, and then you may expand to thinking of short sales, bulk reo investing or virtual real estate investing. You may also consider what roles these things play in your life as a real estate investor in different economies.

You can learn a lot about real estate investing. The best way to optimize your real estate investing education is to know the basics ahead of time. No matter whether you are interested in short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate or just enhancing your knowledge as a real estate investor, knowing some real estate investing basics will help you succeed. You should review these three real estate investing basics to learn things even some experts do not know:

1. Real estate investing education always yields positive. Every real estate deal has the potential to create thousands of dollars in potential wealth. Knowing about getting that wealth is the key in the end to your success. Learning as much as possible about real estate will increase your odds of success whenever you do a real estate deal. A small investment in your education can yield big results when you implement your learning.

2. Any economy allows for success in real estate investing. Many people think (wrongly) that you can only succeed in real estate when the economy booms. Actually a poor economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. You can often find properties to buy at deep discounts. You could also locate deals that would not exist in a booming economy. Real estate investing may also turn the tide for a poor economy. Short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate all thrive when the economy is less than thriving. You will have the option of saving yourself and possibly others from serious financial difficulties if you know about these types of deals.

3. You do not need a lot of money to be a successful real estate investor. You can succeed in the real estate investing arena no matter how much money you are working with. There are lots of deals that you can use other people’s money to do. Private lenders will lend you their money if they think you are a good investment. The best way to be a good investment is to know as much as possible about real estate investing. Then you will represent a good investment to other people who have money for real estate investing but do not know how to use it.

Real estate investing is a great way to generate wealth. You can create an income in any economy. Using a knowledge base of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate you will be able to make success for yourself. Knowing some real estate investing basics and applying them will help you succeed as a real estate investor.

Real Estate Investing

The term real estate investing likely brings a number of things to mind. You likely leap to real estate investing as real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans, and then you may expand to thinking of short sales, bulk reo investing or virtual real estate investing. You probably also wonder how these things play out in real estate investors’ life in the current economy.

You can learn a lot about real estate investing. The best way to get the most out of your real estate investing education is to be familiar with some basic information ahead of time. Whether you are interested in short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate or just improving your abilities as a real estate investor, you need to know some real estate investing basics in order to succeed. Review these three real estate investing basics that even some experts don’t yet know:

1. Real estate investing education is a true investment that always has a positive yield. Every good real estate deal represents thousands of dollars in potential wealth. The knowledge of how to get that wealth is the key to your success. Learning about real estate increases your odds of success when you do a real estate deal. Implementation of your small educational investments yields big results.

2. Any economy allows for success in real estate investing. Many people think that you can only succeed in real estate when the economy is booming. Actually a poor economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. You will likely find properties that you can buy at deep discounts. Additionally, you may find deals that would not exist in a booming economy. Poor economies can have the tide turned based on real estate investing. When the economy is not so good, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate are great. You can save yourself from financial difficulty along with others by knowing how to do these deals.

3. You do not need to have a great deal of money if you want to be a successful real estate investor. You can succeed in the real estate investing arena no matter how much money you are working with. There are a lot of deals that you can do with other people’s money. If you look like a good investment a private lender may let you use their money. The best way to look like a solid investment is to have an in-depth knowledge of real estate investing. This will help you show people that you are a good investment if they have the money to help you with real estate investing but they do not know how to use it.

Real estate investing is a great way to create a good amount of wealth. You can create income regardless of the economy. Using knowledge of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate you will be able to create success for yourself. You will be helped to succeed as a real estate investor by knowing real estate investing basics.

Real Estate Investing

When you think of real estate investing, a number of things may come to mind. You likely leap to real estate investing as real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans, and then you may expand to thinking of short sales, bulk reo investing or virtual real estate investing. You likely also are wondering how these things factor into real estate investors’ roles in the current economy.

There is a lot of information out there on real estate investing. The best way to optimize your real estate investing education is to know the basics ahead of time. Whether your target is short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate or improving real estate investor abilities, you need to know some real estate investing basics. Here are three real estate investing basics that even some experts do not really know:

1. Real estate investing education always yields positive. Every real estate deal has the potential to create thousands of dollars in potential wealth. Knowing about getting that wealth is the key in the end to your success. Learning as much as possible about real estate will increase your odds of success whenever you do a real estate deal. Small investments in education yield big results upon implementation.

2. You have the ability to succeed in real estate investing in any economy. Many people think that you can only succeed in real estate when the economy is booming. In fact a bad economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. You frequently can get properties at deep discounts. You might also find deals that simply would not exist in a booming economy. Poor economies can have the tide turned based on real estate investing. Short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate all can thrive when the economy is not. You can save yourself and others from major financial woes if you know how to do these deals.

3. You do not need a lot of money to be a successful real estate investor. You can make real estate investing a success regardless of how much money you have. Many types of deals enable you to use other people’s money to do them. If you are a good investment private lenders may let you use their money. A good investment will know as much as they can about real estate investing. This will help you represent yourself as a good investment to private lenders who do not know how to make money in real estate investing.

A good deal of wealth can be generated with real estate investing. You can create a good income no matter what the state of the economy. By using a base of knowledge of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate you can create success for yourself. You will be helped to succeed as a real estate investor by knowing real estate investing basics.

Real Estate Investing

A number of things likely come to mind when you think of real estate investing. If you are already familiar with real estate investing you may think of short sales, bulk reo investing and virtual real estate investing or you may think of it in terms of real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans. You may also wonder what type of role these things can play in your life as a real estate investor in different types of economy.

There is a lot to learn about real estate investing. The best way to optimize your real estate investing education is to know the basics ahead of time. Whether your target is short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate or improving real estate investor abilities, you need to know some real estate investing basics. Here are three real estate investing basics that even some experts do not really know:

1. You will always get a positive yield with real estate investing education. Every good real estate deal represents thousands of dollars in potential wealth. Knowing how to get that wealth is the key to success. When you know about real estate your odds of success increase with each real estate deal. A small investment in education has the ability to yield big results when it is implemented.

2. You can succeed in real estate investing in any economy. Often people think that you can only be a success in real estate when the economy is good. In fact a bad economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. Likely you will be able to find properties at deep discounts. Also, you might find deals that simply could not exist in a booming economy. In fact, real estate investing can turn the tide for a poor economy. When the economy is not so good, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate are great. You will have the option of saving yourself and possibly others from serious financial difficulties if you know about these types of deals.

3. You do not need a lot of money to be a successful real estate investor. You can make real estate investing a success regardless of how much money you have. There are lots of types of deals that you can perform with the money of other people. If you look like a good investment a private lender may let you use their money. The best way to look like a solid investment is to have an in-depth knowledge of real estate investing. This will enable you to show people who have money for real estate investing but may not know how to use it that you are a good investment.

Real estate investing is a great way to generate wealth. You can create a good income no matter what the state of the economy. By using a base of knowledge of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate you can create success for yourself. Real estate investing basic knowledge will help you succeed as a real estate investor.

Real Estate Investing

A number of things likely come to mind when you think of real estate investing. You might immediately leap to real estate investing being real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans or you may think instead of short sales, bulk reo investing and virtual real estate investing. You may also consider what roles these things play in your life as a real estate investor in different economies.

You can learn a lot about real estate investing. The best way to get the most out of your real estate investing education is to be familiar with some basic information ahead of time. Short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate and general real estate investor abilities all are improved by knowing some basics of real estate investing. Review these three real estate investing basics that even some experts don’t yet know:

1. Real estate investing education always yields positive. Each real estate deal can represent thousands of dollars in potential wealth. Knowing about getting that wealth is the key in the end to your success. Learning about real estate increases your odds of success when you do a real estate deal. Small investments yield big results when you invest in learning and then implement what you learn.

2. Any economy allows for success in real estate investing. Often people think that you can only be a success in real estate when the economy is good. Actually a poor economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. You frequently can get properties at deep discounts. You could also locate deals that would not exist in a booming economy. Real estate investing often is what turns the tide for poor economies. When an economy is less than thriving, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate can prosper. You can save yourself from financial difficulty along with others by knowing how to do these deals.

3. A lot of money is not vital to your success as a real estate investor. You can succeed in real estate investing no matter how much money you have. There are lots of types of deals that you can perform with the money of other people. Private lenders will let you use their money if they know that you are a good investment. A good investment will know as much as they can about real estate investing. This will help you show people that you are a good investment if they have the money to help you with real estate investing but they do not know how to use it.

Real estate investing is a great way to generate wealth. You will be able to create an income no matter what the economy. By using a base of knowledge of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate you can create success for yourself. Knowing real estate investing basics will help you succeed as a real estate investor.

Real Estate Investing

When you think of real estate investing, a number of things may come to mind. You may think of real estate investing as real estate portfolios and real estate retirement plans, or you might focus on short sales, bulk reo investing and virtual real estate investing. You likely also are wondering how these things factor into real estate investors’ roles in the current economy.

You will need to know a lot about real estate investing. To get the most out of real estate investing education, be familiar with basic information ahead of time. Whether your target is short sales, bulk reo sales, virtual real estate or improving real estate investor abilities, you need to know some real estate investing basics. Here are three main real estate investing concepts that many experts do not even know:

1. Real estate investing education is a true investment that always has a positive yield. Each real estate deal can represent thousands of dollars in potential wealth. Knowing about getting that wealth is the key in the end to your success. Knowing more about real estate betters your odds of success when you do a real estate deal. Small investments yield big results when you invest in learning and then implement what you learn.

2. You can succeed in real estate investing in any economy. Many people think that you can only succeed in real estate when the economy is booming. In fact a bad economy is not a bad economy for real estate investors. Likely you will be able to find properties at deep discounts. You might also find deals that simply would not exist in a booming economy. Poor economies can have the tide turned based on real estate investing. When the economy is not thriving, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate can all thrive. You will be able to save yourself and others from serious financial difficulties if you know how to do these deals.

3. You do not need lots of your own cash to be a successful real estate investor. You can make real estate investing a success regardless of how much money you have. There are many deals that will let you use other people’s money to do them. If you appear to be a solid investment you may be able to use a private lender’s money. An investor who is a good investment knows as much as they can when it comes to real estate investing. This will help you show people that you are a good investment if they have the money to help you with real estate investing but they do not know how to use it.

A good deal of wealth can be generated with real estate investing. You can create income regardless of the economy. You can create success for yourself using knowledge of real estate investing, short sales, bulk reo sales and virtual real estate. Knowing real estate investing basics will help you succeed as a real estate investor.