I think the only thing that makes real estate a reliable good investment is time. The only way you're sure to get your money back is to keep it for a couple decades. Or buy an investment property with positive cash flow from rents (which in Boulder means putting down about 30%)

 

I bought my house only 5 months ago. When I bought it, its Zillow estimate was 103k right now it is at 165k on Zillow. When compared with sales of comparable homes in the neighborhood in the past month, I am confident that I am still in the black on my home.

 

Actually they are good investments if you go into it with the idea of living in it for 10-15yrs, if you buy a house strictly expecting to flip it in 5yrs for a profit then you are fooling yourself and watching too many of those house flipper shows.

Here is a couple good articles on this very same thought process and how more people fail with this idea than succeed with it.

http://m.fool.com/personal-finance/h...nvestment-ever

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate...ou-think-it-is

http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/0...an-investment/

 

I bought my "house" (4 unit apartment building) about a year and a half ago and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm generating a positive cash flow with the other three units, parking and laundry. I'm pretty sure that I'm upside down in the mortgage but it doesn't matter much to me at this point. I'm just saving up so I can buy my own "real" house, and I plan on keeping this place for a long time. The downside is that I still live in an apartment building, and I have to be the guy that fixes stuff and unlock doors when people lock themselves out and stuff.

 

welcome to the world of being a landlord :rofl:
at lease you're in the same unit try driving across town:dunno:

Things are pretty rough out there right now!
My brother in law and his wife have not paid there mortgage in 1 1/2 waiting on a loan modification.
The bank finally got around to it last week.
They drop his payments almost by 1200.00

Like somebody said above me "now is a good time to buy"!
Just make sure its a place that you love and plan on keeping for 10-15 years.
For those people standing on the sidelines waiting for another drop!

"Quit watching the fucking evening news and buy something"

 

Dropped by $1200? How much was the freaking mortgage?

$1200 would almost pay for my whole mortgage

 

i refinanced my mortgage last year from a 30 yr to 15 yr and I'm paying 100 bucks a month less. :woah:

 

1200 would almost cover 3 months of mine

 

I would be living the fucking life if that was me

 

I am :chuckles: