http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/DeVerie/16591 There are as many ways to invest in Real Estate, as there are different types of Real Estate. Your ability it invest and profit from your investment is only limited by your imagination. From owning your own single family home to owning several units of Residential or Commercial rental property, the options are endless. Real Estate investing for most people appears to be a luxury that only the rich can afford, or a nightmare because of all of the rental horror stories that we hear from friends or neighbors that had a bad experience with a tenant once upon a time. Believe it or not, investing in real estate is not out of reach of the ordinary person. If you do your homework and exercise a good amount of common sense then Real Estate can be a very profitable investment. --- Take the first step; this is the most important part. It is always intimidating going into a venture that you know nothing about. It is critical that you overcome your insecurities if you want to be a successful investor. Research your desired market, perform the financial calculations, plan for unforeseen events, and go. Getting that first great investment starts with you taking the first step. ---  When you have decided to take the first step, its time to choose a target property. Most people are familiar with homes. You may have rented or even purchased a home in the past, so a single family home is a logical place to start. There is also the option of multiple unit apartments. BEFORE YOU STOP READING, yes it is perfectly reasonable to purchase apartments as a first investment. In fact, many lenders will offer first time homebuyer loans on apartments up to four units. This will let you live in one unit while renting the other three and letting them make the majority of your payment. After the time that you are required to live in the property you can move out and rent all four. What a great first house for the first time investor! --- If the 4-plex still seems out of reach to you, consider your own home. First of all you are renting to yourself (you need to think like an entrepreneur now). You could find a house that you could buy at a great value, and make some improvements yourself. You could move after a couple of years and rent it out. If you continue to repeat this process, you will end up with five investment properties after ten years. See what a little planning can do. You may choose to hold on to them for life, or sell them all and reinvest into a larger apartment complex (just like in Monopoly, 4 green houses = 1 red hotel). These are just a couple of investment ideas to get your blood pumping. There are hundreds of books written about the many different methods of Real Estate investment. Check them out, do lots of research, call your Realtor®, and take that first step. The more you learn about investing the better you will be at it, and the sooner you start the more you will make!     There are as many ways to invest in Real Estate, as there are different types of Real Estate. Your ability it invest and profit from your investment is only limited by your imagination. From owning your own single family home to owning several units of Residential or Commercial rental property, the options are endless. Real Estate investing for most people appears to be a luxury that only the rich can afford, or a nightmare because of all of the rental horror stories that we hear from friends or neighbors that had a bad experience with a tenant once upon a time. Believe it or not, investing in real estate is not out of reach of the ordinary person. If you do your homework and exercise a good amount of common sense then Real Estate can be a very profitable investment. --- Take the first step; this is the most important part. It is always intimidating going into a venture that you know nothing about. It is critical that you overcome your insecurities if you want to be a successful investor. Research your desired market, perform the financial calculations, plan for unforeseen events, and go. Getting that first great investment starts with you taking the first step. ---  When you have decided to take the first step, its time to choose a target property. Most people are familiar with homes. You may have rented or even purchased a home in the past, so a single family home is a logical place to start. There is also the option of multiple unit apartments. BEFORE YOU STOP READING, yes it is perfectly reasonable to purchase apartments as a first investment. In fact, many lenders will offer first time homebuyer loans on apartments up to four units. This will let you live in one unit while renting the other three and letting them make the majority of your payment. After the time that you are required to live in the property you can move out and rent all four. What a great first house for the first time investor! --- If the 4-plex still seems out of reach to you, consider your own home. First of all you are renting to yourself (you need to think like an entrepreneur now). You could find a house that you could buy at a great value, and make some improvements yourself. You could move after a couple of years and rent it out. If you continue to repeat this process, you will end up with five investment properties after ten years. See what a little planning can do. You may choose to hold on to them for life, or sell them all and reinvest into a larger apartment complex (just like in Monopoly, 4 green houses = 1 red hotel). These are just a couple of investment ideas to get your blood pumping. There are hundreds of books written about the many different methods of Real Estate investment. Check them out, do lots of research, call your Realtor®, and take that first step. The more you learn about investing the better you will be at it, and the sooner you start the more you will make!     en-us