Monday, April 30, 2007

Real Estate Investing Trends & Cycles

Published by James Gage, www.jgage.com

Considering real estate investing? Or looking for the next big idea in real estate? People nationwide are continuously searching for new ways to sink their teeth into the lucrative market that is real estate investing. Before you choose your next big move in real estate be sure to analyze current market trends and choose a strategy accordingly.

There are several avenues to take within the rather large realm of real estate investing. Whether you execute more traditional types of real estate investing such as buying low and flipping or accumulating rental properties, there are several profitable routes to take. Consider using a combination of strategies in order to diversify your real estate portfolio and ultimately maximize profits.

One significant trend forecasted for the coming years is the rise of foreclosure investing. Due impart to exotic loans and the rise of interest rates, the amount of foreclosures nationwide is predicted to sky rocket in the coming year.

Perhaps you’re more interested in a preemptive move? Along the same vein as foreclosure investing is the trend of pre-foreclosure investing. Some of the same sites that offer foreclosure lists also offer pre-foreclosure listings. You can even get helpful tips on approaching owners who are in a financial bind. With pre-foreclosure investing you can avoid the auctions and wield more control over your transaction.

With all the resources available online, foreclosure and pre-foreclosure investing is much easier than once considered. Some websites such as foreclosure.com contain listings for foreclosures and pre-foreclosures. They are the only site I know of that lists the two types of distressed properties separately facilitating much easier research. Foreclosure.com also has helpful tools and resources making them a one-stop real estate investment shop.

Along with foreclosure and pre-foreclosure investing seems to be the trend of holding the property as opposed to flipping and selling it right off the bat. Because the market has seen a rather abrupt slowdown the profit is no longer in the flip. Consider other options such as residual income from a rental property. Or it may be wise to invest more time and money to improve the property seeing as though there is no longer a need for conveyor belt housing.