Many people are mislead and mis-guided by the the news…

Unfortunately for them, all the would-be beginner and speculative investors only hear the gloom and doom reports in the news and are absolutely certain it applies to them. They do not understand that it’s a buyer’s market right now – the real estate market is only troublesome for someone trying to SELL something immediately - and they’re completely stopped by all the media hype (like the quotes you’ve read on my home page).

I have one would-be investor that very faithfully cuts articles out of the paper for me regularly – mails them to me – about the ‘bubble bursting’ and ‘markets crashing’, and how real estate is a baaaaaad investment. And I just don’t think she understands that the article is written by a columnist – someone who earns a meager salary to come up with sensational material – not an investor. If someone does not own investments, is not an investor and/or work closely with investors, how is it they deem themselves qualified to asses them, I wonder?

Anyway, this gal had looked at investing in real estate a bit with her husband to prepare for their retirement. They’re in their late 40’s to early 50’s and she and her husband want to retire in the next 10-15 years. They’ve dabbled in stocks, have a nice little home that’s almost paid off, and a short-termed mortgage in order to get it paid off quickly.

But they do not have enough to retire comfortably… not by a long shot. They too, are somewhat frightened by the ineffective nature of the social security system and worried what their retirement years will look like as a result. They know they want to impact the situation, but are afraid to act.

And unfortunately she spends time and energy actively seeking materials that oppose investing in real estate. And believe me, that material is out there, easy to find! I just don’t have the heart to tell her “What if you put all that time and energy into learning materials that teach you how to invest safely and securely?” (She is already convinced that her home is a great investment – where the information breakdown is, I don’t really know…)

But in the meanwhile I get article after article in the mail – all neatly folded with special passages underlined or highlighted – of all the reasons NOT to invest. Unfortunately for her, I’m quite happy with my investments and retirement plan, so the only purpose of her timely notes I think, is to convince herself.