How Do You Get Started Researching Investment Properties?
People often think that it’s fun to buy investment properties that “need TLC” and work on them. Sure, there are enough properties for sale out there, and prices seem really enticing. But be sure to do some homework first. Some properties are great buys. Others can be money traps. Follow these steps to getting started in looking at real estate. Try to get a good feel for what is on the market (maybe look at www.zillow.com and www.trulia.com to start with, although their listings are not always that current). Scout around on your own like this first, before getting in contact with realtors, who can sometimes be more aggressive than is appropriate with newbie buyers. You should get some idea of what prices are overall and in certain areas before looking into specific properties. For neighborhood characteristics, try American Fact Finder (US Census Bureau info) (http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en), which lets you use town names, zip codes and smaller subdivisions to
