Are real estate investments really beneficial?

With the market in flux due to the increase of mortgage defaults,I would leave real estate alone unless you have assets to buy & hold the property long term to get your profit. The best thing I can come up with in my experience is to put money in both Ira's & 401K.

Welcome :D Caun is right- real estate is too shaky right now. My friend is a Realtor and a loan closer and, needless to say, she is wondering if she can pay bills this month.

We have the 401k and the secure stuff through the job for now..Good Luck..Karen

Yes, I can help you in your query. As being a private firm employee every person secures his future so there is nothing wrong in it if you are also thinking the same. But if you are looking for a long term investment I will suggest you blog.ira-401k-realestate.com/about/real estate investment.These are basically the long term beneficial investments.
I hope it will actually help you.

I agree as well but if you can find foreclosures and "short sales' under market value real estate--(I have purchased three of these properties in past 4 months )and already have them rented from people who lost their homes due to foreclosures--and will end up with free and clear properties several years from now..real estate is still a good investment if you can find the right deal..realtors are way over vested and many of them quit very good jobs to persue the greener pastures ..they are not going to pay the bills unless they can sell something that investor can turn a profit on..I purchased my recent properties at real estate auctions and would not advise looking for a realtor if you are looking to make money..look into foreclosure and real estate auctions in your town..not realtors!!!!!!!!!

I disagree, if you can find a bargain property you should buy it. The market will eventually turn. The other investment is finding a cheap property for rental, but make sure that the property generates cash right away and each month, otherwise it is not an asset.

i've seen many people lose money in foreclosures. make sure you know the laws of the state you're in and do a correct title search. many states requrie you to pay for all liens and expenses. i have seen many people get stuck owing twice of what they paid. also, houses are sold buyer beware. it other words, you have no idea what kind of repair work it might need (i've seen someone have to redo an entire second floor because an addition wasn't up to code.)
Another thing that sometimes happens is people intenionally flood thier houses, make problems as they leave (and if they don't want to leave, the buyer is usually responsible for paying for the eviction, moving truck, and storage for the original owner's stuff).

I have some clients who have bought foreclosures and they have mostly all regretted them due to headaches that just weren't worth their time and efforts.

BUT I think that with the economies downturn, there will be more foreclosures hitting the market all the time, and "better" quality ones versus plain old run down fixer uppers that foreclosured used to be.

Probably if you do your homework and have the free time, it would be worth it. But if you work one or two full time jobs and are not handy with repairs yourself, it is probably not worth the money, time and effort necessary. Same goes for rental properties in general!

i agree, i am having problems like that with my landlord. him and his wife work full time and it seems they never have enough free time to properly correct problems in the apartment i'm living in.

It's easy to find property you can buy cheap right now. The problem is you won't be able to sell it easily to get your profit back after you fix it up.