Let’s take the situation where you are looking at a REO for which they want 25k and they have just come down from 29k. Apparently, the bank did not really look at it because it isn’t worth that. To rehab it the house would have to be gutted; the only good part of the house is the structure. You don’t want to rehab it yourself but you would like to flip it if you could get it for a really low price.

If this doesn’t work, you are not interested. But you don’t want to let this property go just yet as it is listed by a realtor who doesn’t even have a sign in the yard. No one knows this house is even available. Also, the house should sell for anywhere from 45 to 106k after rehab.

Why there is no sign in the yard on the REO listed for sale? For one of two reasons. First, the realtor could be just lazy.

Second, if a realtor knows what they are doing, it means they have investors or friends for whom they are trying to hold the house. Then they hope that nobody notices the property and they will get to sell it to their buyer who buys from them and closes all the time. They may know it needs to get to a certain price range for their buyer to be willing to pick it up.

Anyway, this kind of thing happens all the time; and quite frankly that is just business and building relationships. You want to be that person eventually. This kind of relationships helps to get successful in real estate business. They are not hard to build over time but they do take a little skill.

There are times in your life when in order to change your future you have to make decisions that others may question.

That is the case with many investors who want to build a rental portfolio or invest in real estate but their market is so crazy that a 2/1 shack is 200k or the taxes are so high that getting a positive cash flow is just not happening. So what do you do?

Look for properties in another area, or even another state, which are affordable and give you positive cash flow.

There are a lot of areas that the news never talks about because they don’t have 50 percent appreciation in a year. They simply steadily grow at a measly 3 to 5 percent, and guess what When the Bubble burst they also didn’t have 50% depreciation in a year. In fact, they just hang out and many people just don’t even notice.

What are the keys to finding a stable area that won’t blow up or down? Here are 7 steps to finding out your area properties to invest in.

1. Look for areas that have a strong rental market, where a good majority of houses are owned by investors who are renting property. It tells you that the taxes are low and the rent rates are high enough to attract investors wanting cash flow.

2. Find out where other out of state investors are buying in. Google is one way that comes to mind. Craigslist.com is also a very good source. In fact I think it is one of the best sources to find great deals.

3. When you found the area, talk to people there about the markets overall appreciation. Find a market that is simply boring, one where no one really understood all of the hype about the real estate bubble because it wasn’t happening there.

4. Once you find the area that other out of state buyers are buying in, the work begins. You are not there, so someone will have to do your work for you. And the best way to find the local deals is to find the local wholesaler!

5. Just like a spy gathering intelligence, find somebody who is connected, who is the big dog dealer around, and try to get him on your side. That is what you should do to find the best deals in the area.

6. Find the hard moneylenders in the area. Guess whom they will be friendly with? That’s right, the local wholesaler. Find the moneylenders, and you will find the best deal finders. They will be the ones constantly finding great deals and bringing buyers who need to borrow the money. Easy – just like a spy!

7. Talk to the wholesaler in your area. It’s less work and much easier than working with realtors. Be sure you check and ask around, make sure he or she is the big dog, so to speak, running the volume-based business. They mark the deals up just a few thousand and move them so they can keep buying more properties. Besides, the local wholesaler is the one who gets all the best deals anyway. The one who is going to have all the relationships with the realtors anyway and get the 1st call on the deals.

In general, for the work the local wholesalers do – looking at hundreds of houses and making hundreds of offers to get their deals – they are more than worth the measly mark up they make. Let them find you the best property mangers and contractors, let them find you quality properties faster, let them help you achieve your investing goals.

Then it is time to get to work and do some deals, build your cash flow, and take charge of your future. Be Bold and Courageous, you won’t regret it!