Investing your money and time in real estate is not reinventing the wheel, nor does it take incredible insight or great intelligence. Like anything else in this world, it just takes a little hard work, some common sense, and an ability to stay focused and see it through. Real estate has several advantages that other commodities do not have: It is a finite commodity. It is location-exclusive, as each parcel is immovable, and it comes complete with tax shelter designed to enhance your return on investment. This cannot be said for stocks, bonds, debt instruments, or any other form of investment that I am aware of. Absolutely nothing you will learn in this book is a secret, and there is no inside information offered here. Everything you need to know you can find out. What you cannot do yourself, you can hire to be done at a reasonable price. This book is designed to organize your approach, and to stimulate you into creating your own system for your own style of investing. Every single day of your life you are surrounded by someone else's real estate investments; if they can do it, why not you? You are, after all, as smart as the next guy, aren't you? Just reading this book will put you light-years ahead of the people who do not read it. The beauty of real estate is that there is something for everyone. The variety is endless, and you will, most likely, add to that variety. One advantage of starting out fresh is that you come to it with few preconceived notions. Do what makes the most sense to you. Chances are that your first hunch will be correct.