For a lot of us, 2016 was a little rough. Maybe not for our real estate investment endeavors, but in other ways. Even if one area goes well, when others seem shaky or uncertain—maybe it’s global politics or the death of a beloved celebrity, or some other turmoil—it can be hard to believe that everything is going to go right.

2017 hasn't exactly been cupcakes and rainbows either, but this is where we have to start taking stock of our year.  We are halfway done and regardless of the ares where things could be better, we have to plan for the second half of the year and how to improve the things we can control.  We have control over items such as our investment mindset, where we choose to focus, steps we take to grow and improve our real estate investments.

What do you picture when you think of a great real estate investing market?

Depending on who is reading this article, some go to a top-tier market: something like New York City or San Francisco. Despite the fact that these markets are impenetrable for your average real estate investor, they’re the markets that we’re easily dazzled by. And who can blame us? We like glamour. We like pizzaz.

Still others go to smaller markets and the buzz of "middle-america" markets where properties are cheap and plentiful!  

But ultimately, what makes a great long-term real estate investing market, what brings success to real estate investors—the kind of success that allows someone to invest in a glamorous market like NYC—is reliability.

Houston real estate has been on somewhat of a roller coaster over the past several years.

If you’ve been following their saga at all, you know that Houston was one of the cities largely spared in the wake of the largest recession in recent history (circa ‘07-09).

Their real estate market never inflated in the same way that many around the country did, so when the market crash occurred, they didn’t have nearly as far to fall.

Because of this, Houston and other Texas real estate markets...

Out of all the ways to prepare for your financial future, investing in real estate has grown increasingly in popularity over the past few decades. There are compelling reasons for that. For one, real estate investment offers flexibility that other types of investments, like stocks and bonds, just don’t. You direct the course of your real estate investments yourself—choosing what properties to buy, where to buy them, how and when to scale, what types of properties to choose, how to leverage capital, and more.

With Turnkey Real Estate investing gaining in popularity as investor realize there is a way to be passive and invest in long-term buy & hold at the same time, real estate as an option has grown even more.  Passive options like investing in turnkey properties have attracted many investors, both experienced and inexperienced, both flush with resources and just starting out.  The one thing in common among passive investors is that they know they do not have the time to devote to learning how to actively learn real estate.

There are endless variations on strategy and practice when it comes to building your financial...