Investing in real estate is not the same as speculating, and sensible property investments can see a serious return provided the investor is prepared to stay with it.
Speculating is buying a piece of land in the hope that its value will increase. Even if it does, there is no regular income to be gained whilst it is just sitting there and land values can go down as well as up. Investing in property is considerably safer and by choosing the right place to invest in, there can be good rental returns to be had.
Popular places for American houses for sale include vacation areas such as Florida and California. Popular choices are either big cities that have a constant turnover of population, with many thousands of people needing a rental property, or larger towns that have a few big employers and thus the requirement for plenty of houses or apartments for rent.
Florida houses for sale are also popular as vacation homes, or for the many snowbirds from the northern states or Canada who retire to the year-round warm climate. Anyone considering getting into residential property investment should ensure that plenty of research has been done beforehand. This can easily be done by checking out what is currently available in the area being considered, and the rents being charged for them.
It is probably better to charge a realistic rent from the start - this can always be increased at a later stage as long as this is written into the rental agreement. There is little point in a property remaining empty and not generating income.