Investing in land/house in the mountains. Safe bet?

Question

I am thinking about putting some money into property because it seems less risky than the stock market or even banks these days. Hasnt real estate always gone up in value over the long run 10+ years? Would this be safer than investing in the markets with money you really cant aford to lose?

Answer 1

long run housing is a good investment

when properly insured.

mountains  have their own unique problems.

not sure what part of country but weather and fires are considerations.

a lower utility bill and close to necessities  is important too

it would be a nice thing to pickup properties near colleges and make them accessible long term rentals . renting to disabled persons  who have no history of substance abuse ( or at least 5 years successfully sober)gets stable long term renters.

I'm disabled homeless couldn't find accessible housing a looks like its  more rare near a school . i want to get help get back on my feet  but the help isn't there.

talk to HUD for ideas. you can invest and fill a gap  to help others while insuring  its a good long term investment.

please however you choose to use it dont do the mean/ short term real estate investing that's punched housing costs past what many can afford. and as we are all seeing

while some made huge profits now the bottoms falling to stabilize .

so the market more nears the long term profit predictions.

safe RE investing is long term and with the appropriate property insurance.

Also remember the re mantra location, location, location.

some mountain areas are up and coming  or long term stable others don't have the popularity  and resale  or rental can be difficult.

Answer 2

Vacation property is not that good of a bet.   In a down economy, like this one, these types are properties are hard to sell, no one is spending their excess cash.

You would be better investing in property in a city or suburban area.

Answer 3

I hate to give you a "it depends answer" but it happens to be the case.  It depends on which area you are talking about.  Whats been selling in that area?  What can the land be used for?  Is it going to be a rental?  Are you going to build on it?  Is there a good rental market?  Real estate investing is more of an art than a science in my humble opinion.  You need to have a plan and gather the right information.  If we are talking about bare land then I might be a little wary as property like that is hard to sell and hard to finance.  You want to see what property values have done  in that area over the last 10 years.  If property value has stayed the same for a long time, then how is the value going to increase?  

If you are wanting to invest money you can't afford to lose then real estate is not for you.  There is no such thing as a "safe" investment when it comes to real estate or any other investment for that matter.  

You might want to interview a few financial planners and look at some low risk investments with long track records of stability.

If real estate is something you really want to explore, look on the internet for real estate investments groups in your area and get to know some investors with experience.  You can learn from thier mistakes and get a pretty good idea of what you need to do.

Hope this helps.