Real estate investing has long been considered one of the most effective and safe options for long and short term investing. Researching, studying the market and having a good overall picture of local and national real estate trends is still required to make this investment profitable and secure.

It is key to keep in mind that there is no such thing as a completely safe, no risk investment opportunity. Real estate investing is no different and investors must carefully assess any potential financial risk they may be placing themselves in during real estate purchase or sales.

One way to get started in real estate investing is to look at older homes or vacant homes that can easily and relatively cheaply be fixed up and resold. Remember that upgrading and "flipping" houses is not a low cost option in most cases, even if you can do some of the labor yourself. Be sure to clearly understand the cost of renovation when undertaking this type of investment.