Do you think investing in real estate is a good idea, in this market?

I would never flip a house, I think there is to much risk involved. I own several houses. I buy whenever I can get a great price and rent them out for a good positive cash flow. I figure that after several years the renters will pay the mortgage off for me and I can then sell the houses or keep them and live off the larger cash flow. I will buy in any market if I get a good enough price- this is a great time to get good deals.

Definitely a buyers market right now. I'd buy like crazy and hold for a few years if you can and see if it goes up. House prices right now are what you would expect in the 70s or 80. All the appreciation that had taken place over the past 20 or more years have evaporated. I know, because I'm trying to sell a house in Cleveland Ohio. I orignally put the house on the market for $110,000. Its been on the market for over 8 months now and I've had to lower it to $80,000 because of the economy and other problems. I also would not want to rent to anyone, not unless you live right next door. These people, some of them anyway will tear your house to shreds. And, the laws don't favor the rentor, they favor the renter. If you rent to a woman and she gets pregant, and she refuses to pay the rent, you can't evict her until shes' had that baby, which means your out of luck for at least 8 months. Also, your not going to get as much as you think you should get in as far as the amount of rent. With the large amount of houses that are for rent these days, you'll get less then you think.

less liquidity in realestate

This is the best market to buy in prices are at their absolute low. I buy and hold properties and also lease option to my potential new home owners. Some of these people who have lost their homes due to foreclosure are good people with bad credit, which are the people who will buy your house in lets say 2 years time. And in the mean time you helped these people regain some points on their credit score and you also made a big profit. While having people taking care of your property as it were their own.

great time to buy but not sell. I would buy and rent-or buy and hold -the market WILL get better-it's just gonna take some time and you could really make some $$$$.

This is a terrible time to flip houses. Because of all the interest spurned by the flipping TV shows, it is driving up the cost of prospective properties. And since most markets are soft, it is a tough time to sell. Not a recipe for success. Buy and rent is a good option. Some people are losing their homes to foreclosure and need something to rent. And when the market rebounds, you can sell.

Buy low. Hold through the down market (rent while you hold). Sell when the prices go up.

They say its a good time to buy today, but guess what? it will be better tomorrow and so on. prices will continue to fall, wait until end of 08 or mid 09. Read the link below, some good info. Most of the people saying it's a good time to buy are.....DRUM ROLL PLEASE...........REALTORS! http://patrick.net/housing/crash.html Continue to improve your credit, pay down any and all debt you have, save as much money as possible. In mid 2009 you should be king of the hill as far as purchasing power goes with the best available rate and terms (based on good credit and saved money). The next year or so is going to be a bloodbath of people that have bought homes from mid 2005 and on. Sit back, relax and watch the show for now, you have time. A lot people giving advice are also looking to give you a loan, if they are not local to you and you can’t get to them in person within 1 hour don’t fall for it. They say they are licensed in all 50 states, what does that mean? Which state do you have to look in first if something goes wrong? KEEP IT LOCAL, STAY SAFE. Remember Buddha's advice: "Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense." You are the only "expert" you can trust: All brokers, and every other loan officer guru giving advice here with a .com or contact me at the end is "selling" you something. Don't buy "it."