"If you could own 10 houses that wouldn't cost you a dime, how many would you want?"
-quote that changed my life

What do you mean own 10 houses for free?!?

Welcome to Straight Up Real Estate Investing! We are here to provide you with information that is down-to-earth and practical and all the resources you need to be a successful investor.

When I was a young man, an older investor asked me that question about owning 10 homes. The number was just an illustration, his point was that by owning rental real estate, you can build wealth through other people's money!

But real estate investing isn't simple though. Anyone who tells you it is, is not being totally honest. We want to show you how it is possible.

Why invest in real estate?

Now don't get me wrong, 401(k)'s are fine, especially with the employer match feature. And I know they will in time probably bounce back. I have nothing against them or mutual funds, index funds, IRA's, etc etc. I just don't want to rely totally on them.

Individual stocks are great, but I still prefer real estate investing as my number one investment avenue. First of all, you have something real and tangible. A stock can literally go to zero, but with real estate you have something there. Even if your properties burn to the ground you will have insurance (if you are smart).

Secondly, you have many wonderful tax breaks with real estate which you will find more information about in another link on this page.

And thirdly, you have leverage with real estate investments. You can take a little money and borrow a lot more. And by the way, you can't do that with mutual funds. Next time you are at the bank,tell them you want to put $10,000 down on a $100,000 loan to buy some mutual funds. They don't do that. If, however, you ask them for that same loan on a rental house, then they'll say " let's talk".

Can I really do this?

What are the Opportunities in Real Estate?

Housing has hit a low. A lot of small businesses have crashed and that is also causing commercial real estate to come down. Foreclosures are everywhere. A smart investor of anything knows that you buy when prices are low. A lot of people wait for everything to get high before they decide it is a good idea to buy.

But when the market is down they buy into the "doom and gloom" of the media and are too scared to buy. That doesn't make a lot of sense. If you buy right now, the market will rebound at some point. People will always need a place to live, that will not change. And there will always be renters in our society, that also will not change.

So the big opportunity right now is to buy and hold, find a way to cash flow the property such as investment in rental property, and then sell in a few years when the market gets better. Or you could hold for even longer and eventually pay the property off. Whatever you decide is right for you. The main point I want to make is that, buying is the crucial thing to consider right now. We will get into more detail of the various ways to invest in the links on this page.

Let's get going!

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Lastly, remember that I cannot make you successful. It is up to you. I am simply trying to provide a little help along the way. You must take responsibility for your success.

And remember, if you are successful, give back to society and make the world a better place. There are numerous churches and charities doing great things that could use your help!