[spex x]

[ QUOTE ]

You buy a property you can make money on while it appreciates.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, not exactly. Income properties only appreciate in as much as the income produced by them increases. Income properties are evaluated in terms of income. There isn't any other way to value them.

Obviously you want your properties to increase in value. But contrary to popular belief, RE DOES NOT always increase in value. Sometimes values stay flat for long periods. Sometimes they decline in value. Since that is the fact of RE investing, the best thing to do is figure out ways OTHER than appreciation to make money in RE.

You get the best prices on income properties by buying distressed properties from distressed sellers. That's what I mean by a combination of all three: you've got to find a property that has the potential to offer you significant cash flow, fix that property, rent the property. The best situation is to find a seller that is way more distressed than the property that he desperately needs to dump. That situation is rare.

[ QUOTE ]

OOC, which facet of RE do you prefer or have the most experience in? (I understand if you don't want to answer).

[/ QUOTE ]

I've done all of them. I prefer to be a landlord because, IMO, that is the least amount of work. I decided a while back to only buy mobile home parks and get rid of everything else. But I keep getting distracted by lots of great apartment complexes, etc. that have come available. There is nothing wrong with the other methods, they're just not for me.