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Your best friend flips houses, your uncle has a growing portfolio of commercial properties and your parents are renting out their old home to a family who just moved to town. Are you the only one not making money from real estate?Not quite, but you could be missing out on an opportunity at the perfect moment.It’s a unique time for real estate investment as interest rates remain near historic lows following a housing crisis that began at the close of 2007 and a subsequent recession that wreaked havoc on residential and commercial real estate for the duration of the economic downturn. With real estate prices throughout the nation largely back at their pre-recession levels, investors have been bringing inventory left vacant in 2008 or 2009 back to the market and finding occupants.“Areas that were hit by foreclosures or blighted areas, people are now coming back into and reinvesting,” says Charles Tassell, chief operating officer of the National Real Estate Investors Association.Real estate investing site BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network partnered with turnkey real estate investment company Memphis Invest to produce a National Survey of Residential Real Estate Investors in 2012, concluding there are about 28.1 million real estate investors in the country spending a total of $9.2 billion on real estate renovations. Thanks to those renovations, consumers are now seeing move-in ready homes and rehabbed apartment buildings – along with rapidly rising home sale prices and rents.What's more, the Bankrate Financial Security Index Survey released last week revealed 54 million Americans consider real estate to be the preferred cash investment for funds not needed for more than 10 years.If you’re one of the tens of millions who think real estate is a better place for your money than stocks or other investments, it might be time to get off the fence and get started. Here are five things you can do to make sure you’re ready to invest, plus some tips on how to get started the right way.[See: 10 Ways Millennials Are Changing Homebuying .]Educate yourself first. If you’re unfamiliar with the nuances of real estate transactions, not to mention the real estate market you want to invest in, become an expert before you put up any capital.Depending on the type of investment you intend to make – commercial or residential property, house flipping or owning and managing a property with tenants or even short-term rentals – get a full understanding of what’s involved and whether you can handle it.“It’s nice what they show on television, but there’s a whole lot of details and paperwork that come along with that. And that’s where the mentoring and partnering come into play – people can really help you out,” Tassell says.Take your time. Real estate is a major investment, so don’t make any decisions until you feel confident in the deal.In January, Wells Fargo released a Wealth Planning Update, “Investing in Real Estate in Today’s Market,” which noted that low interest rates in previous years have been essential to attracting investors to real estate.Seven months later, one of the authors of the report, Scott Bennett, real estate advisory specialist for Wells Fargo Real Estate Asset Management, says the expectation that interest rates would rise this year has changed, as the Federal Reserve does not foresee increasing rates in the immediate future. That gives investors more time to carefully consider their decisions.“If anything, it’s given people the opportunity to look a little more closely at the opportunity they’re considering because there’s not this deadline of interest rates rising,” Bennett says. “We’ll probably stay in the low interest rate environment for the near term anyway.”Make connections. Making the right friends can make a huge difference when you’re starting a new business venture, which is why Tassell says connecting with a local group or association can help you get past square one with real estate investing. Nearby groups can usually be found through a search online, and they may have member dues as well as non-member events.Tassell has one warning, though: He advises against one-time events by house flipping or investing “gurus” who offer tricks of the trade but no local knowledge or continuous help.“Those tend to leave people with empty wallets and information they don’t know how to implement, whereas a group provides both education that takes time to answer the questions you actually have, is applicable locally, and typically you can build mentoring and networking partnerships – and those are essential when you’re going into real estate,” Tassell says.Bennett also recommends working with a qualified real estate advisor. “It gives you an opportunity to invest wisely, gives you an opportunity to invest alongside with a professional group, and it gives you an opportunity to learn the business alongside a professional team while you’re investing at the same time,” he says.[See: The Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. ]Consider the options. Determine what kind of property ownership will be best for your money and where you should invest.While investing in property in your local market may seem like the go-to option because you’re familiar with the area, selecting an outside market may be better for your bottom line.Peter Abualzolof, co-founder and CEO of real estate investment data analysis service Mashvisor, notes an investor from New York City who may not have the capital to invest in high-priced New York properties could focus on a smaller, less expensive market. This could mean going into suburbs or noncoastal markets that are flourishing, such as Denver or Austin, Texas, where property is a bit less expensive but is seeing consistent, strong gains. This only works, of course, if you study the market and know its nuances first.“[Investors] can potentially find a property for a lower cost at a higher return or potentially purchase multiple properties for the same budget with a higher return,” Abualzolof says.[See: 8 Types of Roads That Have a Big Impact on Home Sales .]Put your eggs in other baskets. Both before and during the investment process, keep an eye on costs and your investments elsewhere. The last thing you want to do is put everything in you have into a single real estate deal.Bennett often works with Wells Fargo clients who have larger portfolios, with real estate serving as a portion of their overall investments. You should have varied investments outside of real estate to help offset declines in certain asset classes – if real estate takes a dive, for instance.“We look at [real estate investment] as an opportunity to diversify a portfolio,” Bennett says.Additionally, while short-term real estate investments like house flips might seem tempting, holding onto real estate for longer periods and riding out hiccups in the market tends to give you better security in your investment.Source: Are You the Only One Not Investing in Real Estate?

July 22, 2011That July day, while searching for financing for people with bad or no credit, we stumbled across a company, Alliance Credit Relief, with offices in Florida, New York and California. They checked out with the Better Bussiness Bureau with an A- rating. They had only been around about a year, with two negative complaints that had been successfully closed. I must have searched Google for hours, only encountering positive reviews. I took a chance, filled out a brief contact form and clicked submit. With no responses over the next 5 days, I continued to search, make phone calls and submit loan applications that were rejected almost immediately.With no aid in sight, my husband returned to work 3 weeks early after his hip replacement surgery, unable to take anything stronger than ibuprofen due to 2 hour commute each way and a previous addiction to tramadol. On his 4th day back to work, I got an excited phone call from him- Alliance Credit Relief contacted him, letting us know we had been approved for a $10,000 loan, payed out once our paperwork was completed and notarized.I was literally speechless, crying. Our nightmare was almost over and we might just make it out of Shoma alive. My husband forwarded me the paperwork and I got to work collecting the necessary information and paperwork. Our contact, Diane called several times, detailing how the process worked, when we could expect the funds to be transferred and to see if we had any questions. The next morning, my husband went to a notary, completed the paperwork and faxed everything to Diane. She confirmed receiving our forms, assuring us funds would be transferred by the end of the week.Smith Farm, Lake Worth, Florida (Smith Farm and homes for sale.)In the meantime, knowing that our loan had been approved, our agent found our next home in a gated community known as Smith Farm in Lake Worth. She, herself, had lived for 10 years in the community and was where most of real estate transactions occurred. The house had been empty for almost two years due to a foreclosure and the homeowner's association were willing to rent the house, despite our rocky tenant history.It was beautiful, on a cul-de-sac with a backyard that bordered on a shallow pond. Inside needed some cosmetic work, and the layout was a bit unusual- but the Tiffany style light fixtures compensated for everything. There had been no reported crimes in over two years. We submitted our application, provided one month's rent as a deposit and began arranging for a moving company to move the largest pieces. To save money, we would do the rest. Having only been in the townhome or less than 3 months, most of the boxes and packing supplies were in the garage.Not even 24 hours later, our agent had the lease. We signed and initialed everywhere. Because of our history, they asked for first, last and a security deposit, payable one week before moving in. It was a done deal or so we thought.The same day the lease was filed, we received a call from Diane. We were still scheduled to receive the funds Friday, but there was one issue that had to be settled. The guarantor of our loan was requesting funds for background checks, processing fees and the first month's loan payment. They requested the funds be wired to corporate headquarters in New York via Western Union. It seemed a bit unusual, but after talking to Diane, who assured us this was standard operating policy, we wired the funds as instructed. An hour later, we received confirmation of the transfer and when the funds would available- tomorrow.That night had to have been the best night's in months. We had a new home in a safe community and a small nest egg against future repairs or mishaps. The next morning, hoppng online, I was a little concerned that the funds were not there, but went about setting up utility transfers and enrolling our son in preschool. Later that day, I received a flurry of texts and messages from my husband to call him immediately. Diane had called, the funds could not be released until the following Wednesday due to a backlog of paperwork. I tried for over 3 hours to reach Diane or any other human, but could never speak to a live voice- only voicemail.Just by the end of the day my husband called again. Everything was ok, things like this happen all the time. But, he had had to transfer more funds via Western Union, to the same account as before. They wanted the first 3 or 4 monthly payments, which would be posted to the account, giving us a few months payment free. The only available funds was the rent payment where we were currently living, but we could replace those once we got the loan in 5 days.6939 Dawntree Ct. Lake Worth, FloridaIt was at this stage, that I realized something was very very wrong, but I kept it to myself. After months of hardship, my husband seemed relaxed and excited about our future. Several times a day, I sent emails, test faxes and called Diane only getting her voicemail. The night before we were to receive the money, would be the last time I would sleep through the night for years. The next morning, we checked our bank account- no funds. We waited a few hours checked again- no funds. We called Wells Fargo to see if a transfer was in processing. No and they had never heard of Alliance Credit Relief. My husband began calling every number related to the company, only this time, there was no voice mail. Just silence.Feeling the panic building, I went downstairs to the dreaded first floor office, booted up the computer and began searching for contact information we might have missed. On a whim, I checked in again on the BBB site and it was there I saw what lead to hours of shock, horror and uncontrollable sobbing.In the two weeks since I had first researched the company, there were dozens of heartbreaking complaints from others like ourselves who had been scammed out of all their life savings. Their stories were the same as our as- only the names were different. I remember screaming for my husband, who hobbled downstairs unable to comprehend what I was saying. Looking at the screen, he realized we had fallen prey to a master scam. His face lost all color and tears fell as he whispered “Oh my God, there's no money- we have lost everything”.Devastated, I ran out the front door into the street, trying to breathe. My son was hysterical- why are mommy & daddy scared and crying? My only thought was, the money in the bank is gone, we cannot pay rent for the place we are in, let alone to another place. I do not remember much of the next several hours. I do remember screaming over and over again, “ what are we going to do- you have to fix this”!. The remaining deposit on the new place was due in just days, and there was no way for us to get the deposit back. We were seriously days away from becoming homeless.We started reaching out to family and friends, none of whom were willing to help us. Many did not return our calls. I spoke with our agent who was trying to work out a solution to get into the Lake Worth house. Every call, text, email was met with rejection. That was until the agent called again. Both she and the agent representing Smith Farms were willing to put their commissions towards the remaining deposit. That left us 24 hours to raise $1800.The next call I received can only be considered a gift from God. My mother's best friend was going to gift us $1000 to end this nightmare once and for all. At that moment she became more than a family friend, she become my mom until the day she died two years ago. Admonished at our amazing luck I headed upstairs to overhear the most heartbreaking conversation between my husband and Grandpa Dave, the man he called his father and friend. In tears, he outlined what had happened and begged to borrow $800 under any terms and conditions. I had never heard him sound so low, defeated and scared. And the answer was no.A few hours later, Grandpa Dave called, saying he had a friend, who would take out a cash advance from his credit card the next morning. We could settle the terms of repayment later. Exhausted, we collapsed in bed, after trying endlessly to reach Diane or anyone at the loan company. For several hours, then days, we waited for Grandpa Dave to return our messages. He called a week later, like nothing had happened, chatting away about future fishing trips. To this day, I have yet to forgive him for demeaning and hurting my husband so deeply.In the meantime, our agent scrambled to buy us time to get the remaining deposit money. Two days later, the fates decided we had suffered enough and a work acquaintance of my husband's reached out and said “how much do you need and where should we meet up”? I literally almost fainted from the shock and instant release of fear and suffering. As simple as that, someone saw we desperately needed help and stepped up. Our families and closest friends offered nothing.First picture taken at our Lake Worth homeThat afternoon, we dropped off the remaining deposit money before any more mishaps crossed our paths. By the end of the week, we began moving our possessions ourselves, with the paid assistance of a few day laborers hanging out in front of the local Home Depot. Some pieces that were too heavy or could not be maneuvered down the narrow staircase, we left behind.To make this a fresh start, we spent the night at a hotel, swimming, walking to the beach, shedding months of pent-up anger, frustrations, sadness and fear. We no longer had to worry about the sounds of gunfire in the night or being attacked while taking out the trash. But we would deal with financial complications for years. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to declare bankruptcy. Multiple movings, lost deposits, thousands in medical expenses as well as the loss of our meager savings left us no other choice.In the months to follow, I spent hours calling, emailing, faxing Diane and the non-existent company she “worked” for. Only once, after we had settled into our new home, was I able to successfully contact her. To the bitter end, she claimed our application was still in processing, just waiting for a few last pieces of paperwork. I began sobbing hysterically, screaming over and over “where was the money and how could you do this to people already at rock bottom. “ She never said a word and didn't hang up. She put me on speaker phone, as I could hear the laughter and comments from fellow co-workers / scammers.We contacted the police, FBI and state attorney general seeking options to catch the scammers, before they could destroy other families. It was in the early days of the Western Union scams and the only advice we were given- don't make the same mistake twice. Give up any lost fantasies of recovering your money. By the time the recipient walked out the doors of Western Union your money was gone. An interesting observation. Every now and then I google certain names and companies. About a year ago, a small investment company in Pennsylvania, with a manager known as Diane began racking up numbers of fraud complaints with the BBB.Our story was just one of thousands. Many lost so much, their jobs, families and lives, unable to deal with the shame and consequences of being victimized. We considered ourselves relatively intelligent people. I have a PhD and my husband a MBA. We thought we did our research and that this was a legitimate solution to our financial woes. Our degrees and common sense did not prevent us from being victimized. Our desperation made us easy and willing participants.It is only due to the kindness of mere strangers that we did not end up.on the streets or worse. We still deal with the consequences of those desperate choices almost ten years later. But perhaps the greatest lessons for ourselves and our son, is the importance of reaching out to those in need, friends, family members even total strangers. Many teeter constantly on the brink of financial ruin, a flat tire, illness or temporary job loss can be catastrophic. We help whenever and wherever we see a need. Bottles of water for the homeless on hot summer days, blankets in the winter. We have anonymously paid utility bills or assisted in the payment of mortgages. Sometimes the only help we can provide is a hug or just to listen. When we hit rock bottom, we needed help. Our families looked the other way, while two almost strangers gave what they had with no strings attached.

Just in my experience here’s a pretty common list:Black people often get routinely ignored when they go into a store for goods/services. You enter a store to buy something and the attendant there will ignore you. You have to ask them questions to get their attention. A white person will enter the store and the salesperson will rush to help them. I experience this quite often and generally don’t buy things in establishments where the attendant doesn’t even acknowledge me. The last new car I bought mainly because the young salesman came up and spoke to me as opposed to the previous five lots I went to where I was literally having to go hunt down people to help me.The flip side of the above is black people get followed around stores they enter or harassed by the attendants to buy things or leave. These are the types that call the police on black people in Starbucks.Black people are discriminated against on job applications based on their names. HR people routinely throw applications and resumes with ‘black’ names in the trash.Apparently this also applies to checking off ‘African American’ on the ethnicity boxes in job websites. I’ve personally done an experiment where I made two separate accounts with the exact same resume on multiple career sites but checked ‘white’ on one and ‘black’ on the other then applied for the same jobs. Got multiple callbacks on the ‘white’ profile and none on the ‘black’ profile for the same jobs with the exact same application.Black people are often denied bank loans or forced into subprime loans for homes even when they qualified for regular loans. See Wells Fargo and Countrywide.Black people are routinely accused by law enforcement of ‘fitting the description’ of a crime suspect then stopped and questioned/frisked. I personally have been stopped and had the police literally pull my vehicle apart searching for drugs because I ‘fit the description’ of a suspect.Black people are often treated with major hostility during routine encounters with the police. I personally have had police officers tell me to ‘shut up’, tell me I can’t ask them questions or curse and draw their weapon on me during routine traffic stops. I wont even about the difference in treatment if a gun is involved.Black youth accused crimes will be called ‘men’ even if they are 16, while 19 year old whites accused of crimes will be called ‘kids’ or ‘teens’.Black students are often subject to denigration by teachers and school counselors. Often times black kids are told that they are ‘aiming too high’ or can’t do something because they are black and ‘black people don’t do that.’ I personally had a grade school teacher that tried to tell me that no black people fought in World War II. (Which I knew wasn’t true because I have family members that were awarded combat medals in WWII, many of whom gave up their positions as officers to fight.)In conjunction with the above point, public school text books often downplay the significant contributions of black people.Black people are routinely called ‘affirmative action’ cases to undermine our achievement. Even President Obama was subject to this.