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Even though flipping houses quickly for a considerable profit is the most glamorous side of real estate investment, those opportunities are few and far between. Far wiser is the slow and steady route, in which the competent investor purchases a property and holds it for several years while its value appreciates. For reasons we’ve discussed before, identifying areas with high growth potential and property value appreciation is important for any real estate investment, and that goes double for a long-term property hold.

If you’re the sort of person who keeps tabs on the real estate market and its comings and goings – which you should be, if you’re an investor – you may have noticed the relatively recent trend of tiny homes. Even the non-initiated are likely aware of the trend if they frequent Twitter, Pinterest, or home and gardening blogs. There’s no mistake about it: tiny homes are a big trend these days.

If you’ve been contemplating home ownership, are a first-time buyer, or are even thinking of selling your old home and purchasing a new one, economists across the board agree that now is the perfect time to purchase a home. With rents rising at an ever-increasing rate, it’s making more and more economic sense for first-time buyers to finally pull the trigger and invest in a home, and even if that weren’t the case, the current conditions of the market are especially conducive to buying a home, rent increases notwithstanding.

Unless you spent all of 2015 living under a rock, it’s no secret that in 2016, Denver, Seattle, Dallas, and Richmond are all now real estate hot spots. In the world of real estate, location is everything. Overall, U.S. home value growth is expected to be around 3.5% this year, and the general trend is more consistently upwards over the past few years than we’ve seen since the housing crash in 2008. As with any explosion of growth in any market, some factors are consistent across the board and some niches (or, in this case, locations) fare better than others.

Whether you’re just starting out or sitting on several years’ worth of experience and considerable resources, each real estate purchase represents a major investment. In a nutshell, you as an investor are committing large sums of money with the expectation that you’ll be able to receive an excellent return over time. By the same token, ill-planned or unwise investments carry the potential to do the exact opposite. As an investor you’re exposed to a great deal of risk, so doing your homework prior to committing to the purchase is going to save both your money and your blood pressure.

As we’ve mentioned before, the art of flipping houses is the glamorous face of real estate investing, and flipping properties for a quick, effortless profit is the first thing the uninitiated tend to think of when considering investing in real estate. The notion of a severely undervalued property being turned into a large windfall upon sale may be the dream of many aspiring investors, but those of you who have been doing this a while know that that’s almost never how it goes. That being said, there’s certainly an art to flipping houses, and while most of it is comprised of crunching numbers, detailed location and market analyses, fiscal discipline, following the plan through to meet the desired goal, and going through the extreme hassle of closing, there are also a few things that experienced investors know to do in order to increase the value of their flip without breaking the bank.

A common concern for landlords is not only initially rehabbing their property in preparation for their first tenants, but continually renovating it over the years to increase its desirability in the face of market changes such as rent raises and increased competition in the local area.

Unemployment remains low, new home construction – or housing starts – continue at their highest rate since 2008, wages have finally begun to enjoy a bit of long-awaited growth on pace with the recovering economy, and dirt-cheap gasoline has given consumers a sizeable windfall and by extension a huge boost to their confidence. While some of these economic conditions and the state of the stock market make real estate investment a little dicey for the professional investor, they’re simultaneously a huge boon to the homebuyer. If you’re thinking of purchasing a home in the next few years, now may be the time to make your move if you’re ready.

It should be no secret that the key to reaching your financial goals is largely based around your habits, namely, how you spend, save, and how you keep track of your income and wealth in general. Good habits often beget favorable results, and the way to replace bad habits is with good habits.

For the first-time homebuyer, the entire process of finding a suitable property, applying for a mortgage, and finally closing can be a daunting task. Mortgages, in particular, are a particularly intimidating concept to most first-time borrowers, yet it’s an absolutely crucial step in the process. While most people understand the basics of a mortgage, it’s among the most poorly understood aspects of buying a home, particularly the criteria that lenders use to determine your eligibility. Before applying for a mortgage, there are a few essential things you need to be aware of in order to make sure you’re getting a good deal and not setting yourself up for future headaches.