DEAR BOB: In May 2002 we entered into an Internal Revenue Code 1031 tax-deferred exchange for the sale of our Kansas City, Mo., rental condo to a rental house in Sarasota, Fla. It was our understanding it should be rented at least six months and then we had to occupy it as our principal residence for at least two years before selling it. We rented the house for seven months and have occupied the house since January 2003. Now, I read in one of your recent articles that the length of ownership was changed as of Oct.  more...

There are many methods to become very wealthy, or just modestly wealthy, with your real estate investments. Although I have personally done "pretty good" investing in real estate, many of my friends, college real estate students and subscribers have done much better. I'm extremely happy for them! This four-part series will explore the question: Why do I want to invest in real estate?  more...