Real Estate Has Not Always

Real Estate has not always been held in the highest regards. Before 2001, there was not enough literature on investing and wealth in real estate to understand the process at all. Mantell (2004) stated that Real Estate is now one of the top choices for investing; it is strong and expected to advance even further in years to come. When deciding to invest in real estate one must go through a process of locating properties, arranging financing, evaluating market variables, building an investment team and negotiating contracts (Mantell, p. 2). He went further to say that one does not need to be a financial genius in the area of real estate in order to invest. One only needs to recognize the importance of real estate titles. Updegrave (2003) and Mantell (2004) both recognize the new trend in real estate, and respect that the big trend at one point was the stock market, they posed an important question of whether or not real estate, is still a reliable wealth-generating machine, as it has been known to be in the past. The answer is simple; yes, real estate can be a reliable source of wealth growth if done properly.

The Stock Market has also proven to be a viable investment resource in growing wealth, but tends to be more risky than other more traditional investment methods. Futrelle (2004) reported that some of the smartest minds in finance are taking hard look at today's beliefs about the stock market risks and returns, and the answers they are coming up with are, frankly, disquieting. Much of what passes for unassailable historical truth turns out to rest upon shaky assumptions. However all aspects of investing are not so grim it is important to have your wits about you and do proper research.