William Tingle

You don't want to go down the beaten path - if it worked so well, we wouldn't have the kind of downturns like the one we've seen from housing in recent years.

When people hear about a downturn in the real estate world, they just sigh. No one wants to hear that their homes are worth less today than they were yesterday. No one wants to live in a world where house prices keep shrinking and everyone seems to have trouble selling their home. Everyone except real estate investors, that is.

When thinking about the real estate market today, many people simply shudder. Really? An investment in real estate? Now?

For some reason, it seems that people believe that because you are getting the deed or buying subject to, all the regular definitions of what makes a good deal a good deal go out the window. It is as though when you use this method to buy, it waves some sort of magical wand over a deal that under any other circumstances would be a no go. Because the financing is already in place and in someone else's name, it is all of a sudden good to go.

We all know about the bad housing market – how things really crashed in 2008 and how the market really hasn't recovered much since the. We might be living in a double-dip recession, for all we know, but the key here is not to be worried about the world at large.

There are a lot of different types of real estate transactions – some of them good, some of them bad. Some of the might be good for one party and some might be good for both parties. Or a transaction could end up being bad for both parties!

If you want to make it in real estate, it helps to have a few qualities that separate you from the herd.

It is my opinion that building rapport and getting your seller to feel comfortable with, dare I say "like" you, is the biggest step toward overcoming any fears or questions that they may have.