When people hear of real estate investors, the image of a wealthy person with millions of dollars on hand probably comes to mind. But remember, all investors had to start out with their first property. Established neighborhoods like Old Town, Del Ray, Kingstowne, and Manchester Lakes are sought-after areas for investors, because these areas are also popular with home buyers. There are many types of real estate investors, and various avenues to consider. All investors fall into two main categories, short-term and long-term.

Some short-term real estate investment strategies include, rehabbing, foreclosure acquisitions, and wholesaling. Investors who concentrate on these areas have fine tuned methods of seeking properties that are in distress. They often have a contractor or fix-up crew on call, and are able to complete projects within a 60 day period. Once a project is complete, the repaired home is ready for the open market.

Long-term real estate investment strategies include land-lording, condo conversions, commercial leasing, and option selling. These methods are attractive because they offer cash flow and income over an extended period of time. Also, the opportunity is present to take advantage of leverage to acquire other real estate for sale.

In a hot sellers market, short term real estate investors looking to flip houses can make up 25% of the homebuying population. That means one out of every four buyers is an investor (experienced or not). In a buyers market, more long-term investors enter the market, picking up homes way below market value, and renting them out for an additional source of monthly income.  Even though condos, townhomes, and single-family homes for sale in Old Town, Del Ray, Kingstowne, and Manchester Lakes are usually higher than the average home in other parts of the country, there's still lots of money to be made.