Think about this for a minute. Unless it is going to sink into the ocean or completely disappear into a black hole, the property behind a real estate investment will always be around. Sure, it can lose money and have a tough time, but it will be around and still have value.

Another thing to keep in mind is right now, as many other investors are doing what you are doing and worrying, those who move forward and make a buy will be the ones who have the most to gain as the market starts to rise again.

It's like Albert Einstein said, "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity". While he may have been talking about science, it also works for the world of economics and investments. Sure we are in the midst of a difficult economic time when it seems every stock, bond and mutual fund has dropped through the floor and that any investment is doomed to fail. But, what if you look at the opportunity side of that. If you look around, the real estate market has bottomed out for the most part. That means the current opportunity is in investing in more of it and seeing a return on that investment.

Now that I have you thinking of opportunity, you may be thinking there is no way you will be able to afford purchasing properties right now. No one said you had to buy properties outright. Instead, why not purchase shares of property? This can be accomplished through real estate investment trusts or REITs. Being a part of a REIT allows you to purchase shares of a real estate development or real estate management company and still be in on the market without having to buy a whole property yourself.

In a REIT when the management group profits (through leases, rent or mortgage interest) at least 90% of that profit must be passed on to the investors. This will come in the form of a dividend. In many cases you will see a 6-10% return on your investment every year, as that is the average. In some years you may even see your real estate out perform the stock market.

Investing in REITs is easy. They are publicly traded and you can go to a website like REITBuyer.com to research the REITs you are interested in, look at their past, possible futures and even make the purchase all in the same place, as they are an investing real estate broker.

We're at a point in the economic tide right now where it's either time to make a move or stay out of the game. Only those who play can win.

This article was written by Earl E. Bird, spokesperson for the REITbuyer.com, a site dedicated to educating Real Estate Investors on how to invest in Real Estate Mutual Funds to diversify their investing portfolio. Learn more at http://www.reitbuyer.com