In the turnkey real estate industry, anyone can claim to offer "full-service" investing. The term gets thrown around so frequently that it's lost much of its meaning. But when you're entrusting someone with your financial future and potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars, you need more than marketing buzzwords.

The question of location is the biggest in real estate. We know just how important the “where” is in purchasing properties! While you want to invest in a robust and growing market, you also want to be wary of overhyped areas. Finding that sweet spot is tricky.

Though inflation-fighting mortgage rates have helped the real estate market cool in recent months, it doesn’t mean the market is a breeze to buy in. Due to low inventory and specific, individual market factors, there’s still a risk of getting involved in bidding wars and overpaying for a property.

We’ve become accustomed to tales of a fiercely competitive real estate market. Although that competitiveness has eased in recent weeks as interest rates rise, properties are as expensive as ever. As a result, the competition isn’t ending with the traditional housing market.

Real estate investors looking to get in on a fast-appreciating housing and rental market are facing the aftermath of one of the strongest seller’s markets we’ve seen. So how do you come out on top without blowing your budget in a bidding war?

In real estate investment, there is no shortage of competition. Trends are reflecting the proven nature of real estate investment and have been for over a decade. In 2007, some two-thirds of all investors were focused primarily on the stock market. That number fell to around 50 percent as real estate began to attract more investors in a post-Great Recession America.