Real Estate Investing: Diverse Options, Similar Challenges

Shari B. Olefson, author of "Foreclosure Nation" and an attorney with Florida-based law firm Fowler White Boggs, suggests strip shopping centers as an investment.

Though retailers are not doing well currently, grocery stores, discount stories and drugstores are.

“Look for a local strip venture that you’re familiar with and has local businesses that people use and need,” she says. Also be aware that they need to be renovated every five to ten years.

But no matter what you’re considering, don’t be afraid to walk—for any reason.

“The best investment decisions are usually the properties that you turn away,” Huettner says. “There will always be other great deals.”

(Editor's Note: This article was originally published in September 2009.)