Fundamentally, you have three ways to make money when purchasing investment property. The first is to lease the property for an indefinite period at rents that exceed the cost of holding the asset. The second is to purchase the property with the intent of renovating it to substantially increase the value and selling it quickly. The third is to find properties that need to be liquidated quickly at a substantial sacrifice to equity. An investor can acquire these properties and immediately sell them for a substantial profit.

Essentially, these three concepts have made more millionaires than any other type of venture in human history. So why isn't everyone creating wealth with real estate? For many, it is fear; for others it is lack of capital. For most, however, it is merely a lack of understanding. People buy and sell real estate with no money down all of the time, and real estate has always been a much safer investment than the stock market.

Getting Started
The first step is always education. Start reading books about real estate investments. Go the book store or library and learn the fundamentals. You don't need to be an expert, but you must understand the process. Find a realtor that works with investment properties and ask questions. Do the same for mortgage brokers and banks. Sit down with a loan officer or mortgage broker and determine how you would finance an investment. Ask questions and find real estate and finance professionals that can help protect your interests as you learn.

The next step? Find the properties.
With the aid of the real estate professional, determine the best type of investment for your lifestyle, financial position, and risk profile. After you determined best type of property to maximize your return, begin searching for your investment. For this, the internet has become an invaluable, time saving, tool. Search for potential investments at sites like propertykenya.com or Housing Finance of Kenya. In addition, you can look through your local paper, and call on the resources of your network to find the opportunity.

But how do I recognize the opportunity when I find it?
Valuing a potential investment is not as difficult as it may seem. For investors looking to receive a return for charging rents, evaluation software such as IP Ware aids in finding the maximum return on investment. For investors that are looking to renovate and re-sell, comparable values of the surrounding area can be a good foundation. Finally, for those that are looking for people that must sell at a substantial sacrifice, mortgage lenders, tax records, and financing groups can be a significant source of information.

Investing in real estate is a simple process. It is merely a matter of locating a potentially good investment. Determining how to best leverage that investment. Then using your resources and relationships to minimize your risk, and maximize your return. There is a myriad of resources available to beginning real estate investors. Isn't it time you took advantage of the opportunities in real estate and started building your wealth?

This article has been adapted from PropertyKenya; a leading Kenyan-based property infomation website.