You've no doubt seen them or read them. Glossy ads or four-color spreads in magazines and newspapers promising to teach you all the juicy details about successful real estate investing. And all you have to do to learn all these real estate investing secrets is to pay a rather high sum for a one-or two-day seminar.

Often these slick real estate investing seminars claim that you can make smart, profitable real estate investments with absolutely no money down (except, of course, the hefty fee you pay for the seminar). Now, how appealing is that? Make a profit from real estate investments you made with no money. Possible? Not likely.

Successful real estate investment requires cash flow. That's the nature of any type of business or investment, especially real estate investing. You put your money into something that you hope and plan will make you more money.

Unfortunately too few newbies to the world of real estate investing think that it's a magical type of business where standard business rules don't apply. Simply put, if you want to stay in real estate investing for more than, say, a day or two, then you're going to have to come up with money to use and invest.

While it may be true that buying real estate with no money down is easy, anyone who's even made a basic real estate investment (like buying their own home) knows there's much more involved in real estate investing that can cost you money. For example, what about any necessary repairs?

So, the number one rule people new to real estate investing should remember is to have available cash reserves. Before you decide to actually do any real estate investing, save some money. Having a little money in the bank when you start real estate investing can help you make more profitable real estate investments in rental properties, for example.

When real estate investing in rental properties, you'll want to be able to select only qualified tenants. If you have no cash flow when real estate investing in rental properties, you might be pressured to take in a less qualified tenant because you need somebody to pay you money so that you can take care of repairs or lawyer fees.

For any type of real estate investing, meaning rental properties or properties you buy to resell, having cash reserved can allow you to ask for a higher price. You can ask for a higher price from your real estate investment because you won't feel financially strapped as you wait for an offer. You won't be backed into a corner and forced to accept just any offer because you desperately need the money.

Another downfall of many new to real estate investing is, well, greed. Make a profit, yes, but don't become so greedy that you ask for ridiculous rental or resale rates on any of your real estate investments.

Those new to real estate investing need to see real estate investing as a business, NOT a hobby. Don't think that real estate investing is going to make you rich overnight. What business does?

It takes about six months to determine if real estate investing in for you. If you've decided that, hey I love this, then give yourself a few years to really start making money. It usually takes at least five years to become truly successful in real estate investing.

Everyone should have a well rounded financial portfolio. This means that you should at least have some investments in the stock market. Over the past years the stock market does appear to have kept up with the rate of inflation; however, investment in real estate is a far more stable investment.

The stock market has made many people wealthy. The problem with the stock market is that profits can be wiped away in the blink of an eyes. An unexpected drop in the stock market can destroy an investors portfolio. If you have a large percentage of your investments in the stock market, you must move a large portion of your investments into a more stable real estate investment.

One of the greatest benefits of investing in the real estate market is the leveraging opportunity. With real estate investing, you can leverage your investment 10 to 1. With stock market investments, you can only leverage your money 2 to 1.

What does leveraging your money mean?

When you leverage money, it means that you can use the money of someone else to raise money. Just like a lever raises something up, in real estate, you can leverage money 10 to 1. If you have $10,000 ,you can use this to get (or raise) a loan of $90,000 for a total of $100,000 towards a real estate investment. With stock investments, $10,000 would only get you $20,000 for stock investments. This is called buying on margin in the stock market (very risky).

Are you trying your hand at making money with the real estate market? If so, your prime targets should be real estate foreclosures. Real estate foreclosure properties are the easiest to turn into investment properties, as many are sold at prices below their fair market value. Although it is advised that all real estate investors examine real estate foreclosures, you need to be cautious when doing so. Many beginners do not realize that there are many dangers to buying too many real estate foreclosures, especially too quickly.

One mistake that many investors just getting started making is buying too many foreclosures too quickly. Many beginners mistakenly believe that the more they invest, the more likely they are to see larger profits. While this is true, in many cases, it is advised that you proceed with caution. When it comes to real estate foreclosures, you are advised to first only purchase one or two properties. You will want to experiment with different techniques, like repairs, as well as renting or selling, before banking too much on one method. Should you later find real estate investing not as profitable or more difficult that you imagined, it would be easier for you to get out of it, without losing all of your hard earned money.

Another mistake that many new real estate investors make is by not carefully examining the real estate foreclosures that they want to buy. Many beginners mistakenly believe that all real estate foreclosures are a great deal, just because of their discounted prices. This simply isn’t the truth. Real estate foreclosures come in all different conditions, including perfect and completely run down. As a reminder, you are urged to never judge a book by its cover. Before agreeing to buy a real estate foreclosure, make sure that you see more than just an asking price. You will want to see pictures of the foreclosure property in question. If the property in question is a building, you will want to see exterior and interior pictures.

The two above mentioned real estate investing mistakes are just a few of the many that many beginners make. To prevent yourself from making these common real estate investing mistakes, as well as many others, you may want to think about taking a real estate investing course or investing in a few real estate investment guides. As outlined above, most real estate investors have the best chance of success when they look into real estate foreclosures. For that reason, you may want to take a real estate investing course or purchase books that cover real estate foreclosures, like how you can find them and buy them.

Real estate investing can become very profitable for those who know what they’re doing. For those who don’t really know what they’re doing, real estate investing can start to feel like a bad idea. Learn more about real estate investing for beginners, and learn how to turn your initial investment into a whole lot more.

Real estate investing for beginners is not so different from real estate investing for the old pros. After all, you’re all trying to do that same thing: get a good return on the property you bought. Learning how to get that return is the trick to success at real estate. For beginners, it’s best to learn all you can before you start investing. Real estate isn’t hard to figure out, and the more you know the more money you stand to gain from your real estate investment.

For beginners, real estate investing should begin with study. Study the market, study the properties that are available in your area, study the public reaction. This means, spend a little time just watching properties in your area. Look at what’s selling, what’s not selling, and where these properties are location. Success at real estate investing often depends on where and what properties you buy. A beautiful home in a terrible neighborhood won’t sell as well as it would in a great neighborhood, and your investment is what will suffer. You want to know which areas are popular, and which areas have properties that don’t sell as well. Real estate investing for beginners means taking the time to learn, before you jump right into spending.

Keep in mind that, for beginners who are just getting involved in real estate, it’s always good to have some help. Speak to contractors, speak to real estate agents, speak to other real estate investors. Learn all you can from others, and in this way you can learn the tricks to succeed. Real estate investing for beginners is just like any other real estate investing, only with a little less experience.

It’s always important, when working in real estate, to give buyers what they want. In homes, it’s the kitchen and bathrooms that make the most impact on potential buyers. Real estate professionals will say it’s the kitchen and bathrooms that make or break the sale of the house. Giving people a pleasant property is essential, because they won’t want to buy anything they might consider sub-par. If you wouldn’t want to buy the property, chances are good that no one else will want to buy, either. And if no one buys, then you’ve made a bad investment – and will probably end up losing that entire investment, to boot. A property that won’t sell is, essentially, worthless to real estate investors.