I want to start investing in Real Estate, preferably Apartment Buildings.  But dont know how.  HELP!?
371448
The best way to go about is starting with single family homes or duplexs.  You'll get a taste of being a landlord.  With apartments it can be tricky.  Also, think about liquidity.  Apartment buildings are much more difficult to sell.  \n\nOnce you've established yourself with duplex's and houses then think monopoly.  Trade them in for the apartment complex. Good luck
71081
This can be really complicated to answer.  Basically, you need to go where the money is.  Certainly you've made your requests clear to your current investors?  Where are their friends?  Amazing how secretive/greedy people can be when it comes to sharing (good) investment advice.  Call every bank, real estate company, mortgage company, investment group, investment company and talk to the right people.  If the returns are as good as you say, you should be able to drum up enough investors.  On the flip side, maybe the people with "money" are concerned about the housing situation; is your area getting overbuilt?  Amazing too how many contractors get myopic.  Part of succeding in business is being able to "see" changing economies and adjusting as required.  This IS a cyclic business.  If the rates don't stabalize here, people will tend to stay put.  Don't get caught with unsold spec's that you're forced to start "discounting"  I don't know where you are, but in our hot, hot market, the wise old builders are being very careful and building mostly pre sold customs.
54011
Yes you can. In this instance I would suggest finding someone in your area who buys properties for rental purposes. See if they will talk to you about how they purchase propery. There are a few who constantly buy property with little out of pocket capital. There are also books by Robert Kyosocki, and Cources by Carleton Sheets that do work that can teach you how to do this. \n\nYou can even find small trailer park communities in your area. and purchase them for $1,000 to $6,000 clean them up and resell them at double the price and offer financing with 10% interestes for couples trying to find the first home. you can quickly flip several of these and creat a significent down payment for a home of your choice and just use a bit of "Sweat equity".
838629
There are no real estate investment websites that I know of...  Realtors can't and don't sell investments, they can only sell you real estate that you may use as an investment.   In order for a Realtor to be able to sell real estate as an investment they would have to get properly licensed through the SEC, don't know many who are.\n\nI would recommend choosing an area and looking at properties for sale on the web in that town...\n\nRegards,\nJoe Ballarino\nhttp://www.AmerivestRealty.com
135195
real estate start small start flipping houses and get as many properties as u can   and hang on to the nicer ones... u will never regret this move down road.......
164972
Go to your local Real Estate Investor's Association meetings (every city has one). Just listen and learn. Try and shadow a successful investor around and learn from them. Read "Are You Dumb Enough to Be Rich". It's a very detailed book on buying and flipping houses and it starts at the very beginning. You can find it at any book store. \n\nDo a lot of research and learning first. Foreclosures are a little tough at first. I'd recommend looking for people that may be facing foreclosure in a couple of months and are looking to get out, or just drive around and find some distresses properties. \n\nThere are some in EVERY neighborhood. \n\nBut do as much reading and studying as you can first.
1016241
Rent an apartment.\nFix it up.\nSub lease it for more money.
285626
Find a real estate investor (or several) that likes to flip houses or fix up and rent out houses. You can then do all the work. \n\nYou may need to get a contractor license to do it right. You might even consider doing it for yourself, then you don't have to have a license if you are the owner. (You may still need to if you are going to flip, but not if you are going to rent them out)
19568
http://finance.yahoo.com/education/real_estate \n\nthat should help :)
683566
Start looking in the daily newspapers who is selling and who is buying,etc.  You have to zero in on what sort of real estate you want to trade, whether it is commercial or residential.  You may stick to residential to start with and that too your own nearby areas.  Keep a record of who is selling and buying.  In the U.S. there are specific courses to practice as a Real Estate Agent.  Moreover, have a commission declaration form ready.  In fact you can start simply by stating that you want to sell your premises and see how the others are doing.  Good luck.  As soon as you have become successful send me a thanks note !!!
771615
Man... where are you going to find a fourplex for 100-200k?  Madagascar? Somalia? Sudan?  Just kidding, but that's pretty "down market".  \n\nHere's some tips:\n\n1) You can get an investment for around 4x-6x your salary from a bank. Think around 120k-180k. \n2) You can generally get something that is 80% levered (where you put 20% down and even more levered if you have good credit/reserves). Sure, you can get 100% financing - but you don't want to stretch yourself to the breaking point. Tighter credit policies also make it difficult to get more financing. Don't do exotic financing like negative amortization or interest-only as you can lose your shirt easily. Go 30 or 15 year fixed. \n3) Don't go so cheap on the four-plex (speaking from experience as I owned a fourplex).  It is better to deal with a single unit that costs the same. Your tenants are a) going to take MUCH better care of your place because they are generally more respectful of property, b) you'll have less people living in your place doing wear/tear/accidents and c) you will have less headaches managing fewer people. \nPeople do REALLY stupid things with your stuff, especially when the deposit is only a few hundred bucks instead of $10,000... my person experience, tenants flood the bathrooms, put the washing machine outside, shoot out all the lights with a bb-gun, dig up the decorative tree in the front yard, go four-wheeling on your lawn, iron on the carpet, knock down a fence, pay late, skip rent, dump trash outside, dump their kiddie pool water next to the building, bash in closet doors.  Each small thing will cost you 1-12 months in rent lost money at the low end.  My single unit place in California that cost 3x as much as my four-plex had much fewer tenants, less wear and tear, no headaches, was easier to sell and netted more money (downside was lower average occupancy).  \n5) Start with a single-unit fixer upper in a working class neighborhood.  Don't invest too much money in fixtures that don't have a positive return.  Put your "sweat capital" into things that make it habitable (e.g. painting, fix the plumbing, make sure the doors/windows/roof all look good). I'm not saying you sould be a cold-hearted slum lord, but don't waste money on things with negative NPV. \n6) Unfortunately, it takes money to make money. Get a good job.  Take side classes/certificates/degrees to make sure you can make more money in the future.  It took 10 years for me to make enough money, but once I did, making money was much easier when you have money. Learn about investing.  Knowledge is very powerful - which you can then use to make your money work for you.  Read, read, read.  Go to the library. Borrow books from friends. \n7) Don't be afraid to take some risks.  You are going to screw up. You are also going to do things very well.  But you need to take risks to get ahead.  When things go wrong... and they will go wrong... take self-responsibility (i.e. don't blame someone else) and learn a lesson for the next time. \n8) Cut way back on your spending.  It's going to suck, but you can turn your sacrifices into cash, which you can then use to fuel your investments.  Don't play the "keeping up with the Joneses". You don't need the latest gadget, a new car, new clothes, take-out dinner, the nice cut of steak, the fabbo trip.\n9) If you REALLY feel like you need to invest now, get friends to invest with you.  However, make absolutely sure you have a contract that is iron-clad.  Designate a chairman, voting system and equity rules because friends/family and money don't mix.  Some will flake and not work their share. Some will want to do it their way and only their way.  Some will want to back out if things go badly.  I will never work with family/friends.
354669
Greetings,\n\nI may be able to assist you.  \n\nFYI: I have a Real Estate Website for Investors with thousands of Properties for Sale, e.g., HUD Homes, Tax Sale Properties, Bank Owned Properties, and Mortgaged Foreclosed Homes for Sale throughout the country. \n\nNote: I am not a Realtor or Real Estate Agent, but rather an Investor like you.\n\nCurrenlty, Access (to the HUD Homes Section on my website)is FREE. \n\nIf need you can Email at: bigiminc@yahoo.com\n\nThe Website is: http://www.delinquenttaxsales.com
845487
The best way to get a practical real estate investment education in Canada is by investing in real estate.  The second best way is to learn from others who already have invested (or are currently investing) in real estate.  They'll tell you all the in's and out's plus pro's and con's of real estate investing.  So, try to find a real estate investment club or organization that is near your home and attend their meetings.  You'll learn a lot.  Good luck!
954564
I have a lot of money invested in real estate. My advice: don't take on partners you don't know well. They will try to screw you legally. You must be in this for the long term. The short term boom has now passed. Buy low and hold tight until the next sellers market in about 3 years depending on a variety of things. Good luck.
555315
"None of the above."\n\nThe best real estate to invest is in your own country, particularly if you live in the US. \n\nThe cost of ANY legal action between countries is way too high and 'predictability' is a function of your resources.\n\nIf you're looking for "return on investment", stay close to home. If you're looking for and investment that also doubles as a vacation spot, then focus on where you would want to spend your time. Either way, you'll do fine.\n\nGood investments exist everywhere, you just need the resources to identify them!\n\nGood luck!\n\nTrevor
145285
I would go online or visit a large book store as they have a variety of books as to real estate investment, the reference to NOLO is also a great resource, especially for California Landlord type references.\n\nYou may wish to contact a real estate brokerage, that has knowledge of investment properties or contact a local commercial brokerage such as a CCIM and see if you could interview a broker that could open a few doors for you.\n\nYou are wise to explore this specialty in real estate.
832085
Congratulations on venturing out on your own!\n\n1st - don't quit your day job.  Try to get a job in the industry that you want to have your own business, and get out there and make contacts.  \n\n2nd - take a class in business management at the local community college.  And take a class in realestate investment (you may not be investing but you want to know the mindset of your clients - they invest in the property only to rent it out)\n\n3rd - keep tight financial records - including how much of your home you use for a home office, how much phone time, etc.  At the end of the year you can write this off - provided that you have obtained a business license.  I would consult a professional tax prep for this, and do not wait until the last minute.\n\n4th - don't skimp on advertising or promoting your company (I am not saying take out a full page full color advertisement - but do go for a higher end business card or brochure).  You want to look like you are already successful - bees don't flock to a flowerless plant.\n\n5th - understand that you will make mistakes, learn from them and go on.\n\nGood Luck!