Think Long Term

When you are young, long term thinking can be 30 to 50 years hence.  When you are middle age probably 20 years hence is long enough to think forward; hopefully by this time of your life there is more capital invested enabling a good spread of investments.  As you age you are probably happy to maintain your capital and use previous experience when making critical investment decisions. 

Once a person builds up their collateral their choices of investment will increase 3-fold. Buying short term may be more risky when expecting to sell for profit.  There is some luck with the timing, particularly if you are forced to sell. 

Always check with the locals when intending to purchase in an area you are not familiar with. There is no hard in asking questions, for example, what was land worth 20 years ago in the area, check the house prices as well, and also the population increase over time all of which will give you a clear perspective above the local trends. It can be time well spent to visit the local Council office for future town plans and look for any obstacles that may arise in the future that will downgrade your investment, eg flood levels, mine shafts, proposed roads and any future land development that may be proposed.

Chapters 4, 5 and 6 will be helpful once you get serious about buying.