I read an amusing article just the other day where an author and investor recommended investing in trends that aren’t likely to change, such as obesity and women’s legs.  The author of the book is James Altucher, and he apparently really believes that his recommendations represent a good investment strategy.

However, I couldn’t help but notice that many of the funds he lists as his favorites, he also admits haven’t done well.  Those trends can’t have that much staying power if the related funds are tanking, right?

Personally, I think real estate is an investment strategy that has been largely forgotten now, when people are spending more time watching the housing market tank than investing any money into it.  Right now, actually, prices are low and sales are increasing, which makes it a pretty good time to buy — you can get property at a good price and rest assured that values are on their way back up.

But what if you already own a house?  Well, it’s obviously not a good time to sell, but the word investing intimates that you will own more than one piece of property.  If you want your investment to pay for itself while you wait for values to increase, you can rent the home out and let someone else essentially pay your mortgage for you.

One way to rent out a house that many landlords overlook is to turn it into a vacation rental, or a villa.  For instance, Orlando villas are quite popular, as they are in a hot vacation spot — and I mean, really, who actually likes staying in a hotel when they could have a private Florida villa instead?  Just furnish your vacation rental and list it with a management company that specializes in villas in Orlando, and you’ll find that renting out to vacationers is much more lucrative — and much less risky — than leasing the property to tenants.

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