Over the past few years it has been relatively easy to make money in the real estate market with little to no knowledge about real estate itself. For home owners, if you paid slightly more than the market value for a property you could be pretty sure that the market would catch up to you and your home value would increase fairly quickly. Those who were more adventurous tried their hand at house flipping and again if they exceeded their renovation costs by a small amount they could still make a profit on the sale of it.

Now however things are beginning to change, if it has not already changed in your area. Homes are not appreciating in value like they once were and are actually declining in some regions. But if you are careful, do your homework and follow your own path you can make money in a down real estate market. Here are the top 3 ways in which to do just that.

Rental properties are generally a popular purchase for the real estate investor because they can offer a steady cash flow. But as housing prices increase the cash flow tends to decrease because if higher mortgage payments. The reverse is true, however, when prices fall. If your income property mortgage payments are smaller then you will have more money left over at the end of the month that can be either saved or reinvested into the property for general maintenance or improvements to the property.

When stock markets start to fall people tend to think of the stock market a unsafe place to put their money. And if you are looking to make short term gains then the stock market can be risky. But there are ways in which you can still profit from it and long term investment is the key. Buying stock in real estate investment companies that have historically paid regular dividends to its shareholders. Not only can your stock increase in value over time but the dividends that are paid out to you can be reinvested into buying more stock.

Even with house prices that are flat or falling flipping a home can still be a profitable venture with the proper execution. You will need to do your homework to calculate how much the renovation costs are going to be including a little extra for unexpected costs. You will also need to know how long the renovation will take so you can calculate your monthly costs. If house prices are falling then that needs to be taken into account also. This means you will needs some professional advice in the way of home inspectors, contractors and real estate professionals.

While not everyone may be in a position to invest money into a falling real estate market, for those who are there is still money to be made. And as with any investment it is important to properly do your research and obtain advice from professionals in the field. With any economic clod there is a silver lining.