Investor's Guide To Real Estate

The federal government has an offer that you probably can't refuse. The homebuyer's program has been expanded and extended, so more people can now take advantage of a tax credit.

A new survey from real estate website Trulia.com finds that 25.6 percent of homes currently on the market in the United States, as of October 1, 2009, have experienced at least one price cut.  That's for the fourth straight month.

Those looking to benefit from the buyer’s market must come to the table armed with a great credit score, access to capital and plenty of research to ensure they get the best deal on a home.

If you’re planning to put your home on the market, it’s not your manners that need polishing. Try your silver, among other improvements.  Now, more than ever, getting a signed contract in hand is all about price and quality.

Many say the big banks aren't lending, and when they are the rates aren't as good as you'd think. So, try your local banker. Smaller banks have more of an incentive to offer attractive rates.

One person's bad luck may be another's good fortune. Bargains abound, but there's plenty of competition and nearly as many pitfalls. Still, if you're brave and handy, buying a foreclosure property can work out quite nicely.

By not using a broker, you'll save thousands of dollars. You'll also spend weekends and evenings working from home. Oh yeah, and don't forget the yard signs.

If money is scare for a down payment or your house is stuck on the market, then this may be for you: A perspective buyer can rent first with the intention of buying later.

Condos tend to cost more and have less tax advanatges, but coops often come with more strings attached. In the end, it may come down to your personal needs.

Just because a local housing market has sunk like a stone, doesn’t mean it can’t drop some more. Here's a list of cities that are overvalued, undervalued and fairly priced.

"Everything under $500,000 is moving fast,” says the head of the California Realtors Association. “First-time home buyers [are] using the tax credit that the government is giving them. Forty percent say they’re buying because of it.”

"The perception that you can come to Florida and buy a $500,000 home for $250,000 is not realistic, but you can find deals. It’s affordable again and it probably will stay that way for another few years," says one realtor.

“{Washington] D.C. real estate is always more insulated than the rest of the country," says one expert. "We didn’t have as big of a downturn as other states because the government is here. We always have a steady stream of people coming and going.”

“We are confident that we’ve seen the price bottom, but it’s far more established in the lower-end price ranges than in the higher-end price ranges,” says one Minneapolis broker. “Our expectation is that the higher price ranges are going to continue to suffer for at least a year...."

“We are not a speculative group of people. Instead [New Englanders] tend to be very conservative and don’t get into as much speculative behavior. That’s why prices didn’t drop as much."

Mortgage rates are unlikely to revisit the record lows of earlier this year but they're still historically low. With the economy improving and the Federal Reserve expected to tighten monetary policy soon, the next move will very likely be up.

OK, you already own a house—or two—but you still want to get in on the bottom floor of the housing rebound. Then shares in homebuilders, ETFS and real estate investment trusts, REITs, might be for you.