There are plenty of ways to make money in a difficult economy, especially in real estate investing. Education is the key to success in bad times as well as good. Should you find yourself wondering were to go next with your investing strategies now that homebuyers are finding it difficult to secure traditional loans, it may be time to learn some new tactics.

You’ll find that savvy investors in today’s market are trading in several specific areas of real estate. These are the guys who keep on making money in a rough economy and almost always seem two steps ahead when the market improves.

So, what are they doing right?

These investors have gotten an education in real estate investing strategies for the tough economy. Alternative strategies like rent to own investing and marketing online are really bringing in the consistent buyers that an investor needs to survive.

We have plenty of information on the best real estate investing strategies to today’s market at Realestateinvestor.com. Though if you want a quick overview of the most popular investing strategies for today read on.

Shortsale Investing in a Flooded Market
Shortsale investing is a big business right now. Anyone watching the news is aware that there are a ton of homeowners going into foreclosure and desperate for some kind of solution. We’d love it if everyone could work out deals with the banks and keep their homes. That’s just not always possible. Sometimes the homeowner needs to move and can’t sell. Maybe the market value of their home just dropped so much that there is no way they can make back enough to pay off the mortgage if they tried to sell.

If you have the patience to work with the homeowners and the banks you can potentially close a lot of deals on property at a dramatic discount below the mortgage value.

This not only helps fill your portfolio of real estate it gives you something to sell when the market turns back around.

Rent to Own Your Property
Once you have properties in your portfolio you’ll need to sell them or get some cash income flowing in from them. Many potential homebuyers are having problems getting home loans. An education in real estate investing strategies can help you survive the mortgage crunch with rent to own properties.

Rent to own allows you to get potential homebuyers into your properties now, without those mortgages. The tenant moves into a property and begins making payments to purchase the home from you directly, then after a year or three years the homeowner purchases the home with a balloon payment on the remaining cost.

Ideally, within this time frame the homeowner has been working on their credit and building up their income and actually qualifies for a mortgage with a reputable company by the time the balloon payment is due.

Marketing Your Real Estate Online
Now, you can go about marketing those properties in your portfolio the same old, same old way. In fact, setting up bandit signs and putting out flyers has been a core part of the curriculum in many real estate education courses. Investing also requires that you market the property you’ve purchased. Now, instead of going door to door you can always place listings advertising your property online.

More and more potential homebuyers are going online to search for their properties. You can take advantage of this by creating your own web sites, placing ads online and developing your online presence as an expert in real estate investing. An education in online marketing can go a long way towards helping to develop your real estate business in this new market.

These three new strategies in real estate investing have developed directly from the changes in our current economy. Get an education in short sales investing, offering rent to own property and going online to reach a greater number of homebuyers. It’s going to help you thrive in lean times and succeed in the future.