You are here because you are considering getting started as a real estate investor. You’re probably also thinking that it seems rather overwhelming when you look at the whole picture. Well, never fear because you’re about to learn a few things, and the more you know the easier everything will seem.

Location is definitely the most important aspect of real estate investing. Property conditions and other factors do change. Properties that are in terrible areas will always be bad investments. Before buying a property, learn about the neighborhood and any development plans for the area.

Find other investors and talk to them. You should reach out to these investors that are more experienced for some great advice. It can be quite useful to have a couple of friends who know a lot about investing in real estate. The Internet makes discovering new friends and contacts quite easy. Attend some meetings and join some forums.

A fixer-upper may be cheap, but think about how much you have to renovate to bring it up in value. If the property only needs cosmetic upgrades, it may be a good investment. However, major structural problems can very costly to fix. In the long-run, it may not give you a good return on your investment.

Consider building up a real estate rental portfolio that can continue to provide you with consistent profit for retirement purposes. While purchasing homes to sell for profit is still possible, it is less of a reality in today’s world than it has been in the past. Building up rental income by purchasing the right properties is trending vs flipping homes due to the current housing market.

Many people who are interested in buying and selling real estate join real estate clubs, and you should too! In this venue, you will find a high concentration of people who are interested in the properties you have to offer and/or who have properties on offer that you may really want. This is a great place to network, share your business cards and fliers and promote your business.

Before you buy investment property in a neighborhood, find out if the city has anything planned for the areas surrounding this neighborhood. For example, you would not want to buy in an area if the city proposed to turn an area into landfill. If there are positive improvements on the horizon, this may be a good investment.

Work and play well with others! Rather than seeing other investors in real estate as competition, use them to form a partnership. This way you can share your resources with each other, such as client lists, and you can pool collections of properties. When you help each other, you build a larger, happier clientele. This can better your reputation.

How does it feel knowing you’re getting serious about investing in real estate? You never know, you might just be the next Donald Trump. Of course, make the investment decisions that are right for you, and always be aware of the risk and reward. You are going to do just fine.