Finding the best investment properties requires you to have a plan on what you are looking for in your investments. Determine what you want from an investment property. You need to choose if your goal is to have rental property from which you derive a monthly income, to get short term gain by flipping a house, or by becoming a business owner by buying a current business such as a hotel or apartment building.

Whatever your goal is, the best investment properties will reflect your situation and level of expertise. Since there are so many variables to consider, the best investment properties will also be different depending on the situation, but they do have some things in common. The best investment properties will pay for themselves, can increase in value, and will match your resources of money, time, and work needed to be done.

Some of the best investment properties are businesses such as hotels or warehouse facilities that you can purchase and take over. Choose a business that is currently successful with further room for growth. Make sure you examine all the books and records of the business and check existing leases, etc. While you don't need to be an expert, having experience and connections will help.

The future landlords will need to choose a building style. A single hire-rise apartment, smaller apartments grouped together, or a single family home. Which one is right for you depends on your circumstances. The high-rise building can house lots of tenants with low maintenance, but are expensive to purchase.

A single family home typically needs to have a high rent to make the investment worthwhile. Groups of small apartment buildings can be inexpensive, but each building will require maintenance. A single large apartment building avoids this problem, but tends to be expensive.

Some of the best investment properties, especially for beginners, are undervalued single family homes that you fix up and resell for a profit. This is commonly known as house flipping. For those with little money to invest, living in a home while fixing it up is a good option.

If you don't have the time and money for a quick flip, consider living in a home while fixing it up for a few years. This isn't as fast as house flipping, but it is a nearly risk free way of investing in real estate.