Real estate investment is a great way to bring in some extra money, but it has some serious pitfalls. Whether you’re a new investor or you are experienced, knowing these pitfalls is helpful. Use the tips listed here to make your investments successful.

Before making an investment in real estate, analyze the current market and do your research. Look at between 50 and 100 properties in a location you desire, and create a spreadsheet with each one. Include current asking price, how much it will take to make repairs, and how much it can get in rent. This will help you decide what deals are the best.

Marketing will be crucial to your success. Marketing is what generates your leads. Without solid leads, you are not going to find good deals on properties. Therefore, if something is not working in your investment plan, turn to your marketing strategy first to see what is going on and what can be adjusted.

Do not be afraid to spend money on marketing. It is easy to just focus on the numbers and get fixated on how much marketing is costing you. However, it is important to think of the marketing as an investment in and of itself. If done the right way, it will only benefit you in the end.

It is possible to get contracts set up for free. However, always be wary of doing this. Those free contracts may not hold up in court. Instead, find a good lawyer and pay a bit to have the contracts done the right way for you. You will not regret it.

Keep an accountant on speed dial. You can be aware of tax laws and current taxation; however, there are many variables to keep in mind. A good accountant, that understands and keeps abreast of tax laws, can be an invaluable asset. Your success with investing can be made or broken by your approach to taxes.

Don’t automatically assume that the value of a property is going to go up. This is a bad assumption to make when dealing with real estate. The safest thing to do would be to invest in real estate that will net you profits right away. Increasing properties values equals profits for you.

See if there are all of the stores and schools that you’ll need around the real estate that you’re thinking of getting for your family. You don’t want to move to an area where you’re not near anywhere that you need to go to. It would cost you a lot in traveling expenses, so keep that in mind when you move anywhere.

Hire a professional inspector to come out and see the property you’re thinking of putting your money into. You may think that you can just look over the property on your own to find problems, but if you’re not trained you may miss some things. When problems are found, you should make sure to get some money off of the property or have the owner fix it for you.

When you being to make real estate investments, you’ll notice there are a lot of things you must look out for. If you know about the pitfalls from the start, you’ll be in better shape. Keep these ideas in mind to ensure your path to success.