Today’s residential real estate market for investors has become very competitive in most major markets. The vast majority of real estate investing seminars and clubs are encouraging you to search out desperate home owners or distressed properties to be rehabbed. Not to mention fact that today’s disillusioned stock investors have now realized that residential real estate investing offers better returns, with less capital risks. As you seek to identify your lucrative real estate opportunities, have you noticed that good deals are getting harder to find? I am not here to discourage you from investing in real estate, but would like to share real estate investment opportunities and information with you…..opportunities that only a few people are aware of and regularly participate in. That’s right; I am referring to a niche investment market that has VERY LITTLE competition. This unique information is currently setting new trends within commercial real estate investment community!

I know you are ready for me to tell you about this quiet niche investment market, so I will...... it is….……. ………..Commercial Real Estate. There are HUNDREDS, maybe THOUSANDS of niche market investment opportunities within Commercial Real Estate. And by way........ main reason why so few investors go after commercial real estate, and that might include yourself, is that you're not convinced that you would qualify for commercial financing ! ! Most investors are lead to believe that a 20% down payment is required to start process for purchasing commercial properties. WELL, THIS IS NOT TRUE!

Let’s do math now…… financing a property that cost $5 Million dollars with 20% down would require you to put down $1,000,000 and you would still have to add in legal fees and closing costs. Yes, I know that only a few investors or even investment groups are able to meet these down payment requirements. Your first mistake as an investor would be to go to your local bank to seek financing, or worse, go to private or hard money lenders. First, remember banks are regulated by federal government and they are required to underwrite conforming loans and second, bank loans tend to be very structured and are generally inflexible to your project needs. In most cases, THESE LOANS will require a 20% DOWN PAYMENT OR MORE! The only benefit of using private or hard money lenders is when" NO OTHER FINANCING OPTIONS EXIST FOR YOU!"

My wife and I recently purchased a new home in Tennessee. Here are some helpful hints we picked up along way:

1. Use all of online resources available. Almost every state and local government has a website where you can research real estate information. The data on home sales, taxes, and neighborhoods is invaluable when you are shopping for a home. We were able to find out most recent sale prices in neighborhood we selected, and we didn't have to rely on a real estate agent to get data for us. Doing research yourself will make you more knowledgeable about market, which is key to making a good purchase.

2. Be realistic about how much you can spend. Try to buy a home in a price range that allows you to put down 20%. If you put down less than this, you will have to pay PMI (private mortgage insurance) to protect lender in case you default on loan. I know that 20% is a lot, but it's not unrealistic. You may not be able to do it on your first home, but hopefully you can on your second home. The profits from sale of my condo enabled my husband and me to have more than enough for 20% down payment on our home. But we didn't put it all down on home - we saved some of profits for unexpected expenses that come with buying a home. We suggest that you do same.