I'm a newbie and want to get into real estate investments. As of now, I want to start with either SFH or MFH. I hear statements all the time about WHEN to start REI. My question is does it matter when I enter the market being a newbie?

@Lamar Hickley While in a perfect world, you would buy in a down market, I wouldn't wait for it to happen.  You could lose a lot of time waiting for something that might not happen.

@Lamar Hickley

Doesn't really matter when you jump into the market.

When it's a buyer's market there are easy pickings, you'll have more competition from new investors, but it will be easier to make things happen. When it's a seller's market, you'll have to make the deals happen, but the deals are always there.

I'll explain a little:

There are three parts of the market.

1> Rehabed or newly built homes. There aren't many of these around per each town. Depends on investor activity. Buyers that don't want to fix anything when they move in love these, but that means a lot of buyer competition right now.

2> Homes that are solid but might need some updating. These are the most available. Families have been living in these for 10-20 plus years and need to move on. New home owners see these as an option if they don't mind a little updating at some point. 

3> Homes in physical or financial distressed. These are sometimes not very obvious. For the rehabber, this is where to find deals. These homes might not be obvious. They might look fine on the outside, or the roof and siding look rough. They come in all kinds of condition. The number of homes worth less than their mortgage is supposedly less than 4% in the country right now, but I still see a lot of distressed properties going to auction in just about every neighborhood. That means, even in a seller's market, there are potential deals to be had. It just might take a little work.

4> Rental market. Single family homes, duplexes, and 3-4 family, and apartment buildings. As long as rents are increasing due to a lack of development, rentals will always be needed. 

5> Commercial and mixed use (commercial below, apartments upstairs) property. There are still a lot of commercial vacancies in the country. Last I heard it was still around 11% in vacancies. So, the recovery isn't there yet. But, mixed use is always popular.

@Dawn Brenengen Thank you for the encouragement! Fear tries to creep in so I tell my myself that if I wait for the perfect moment then it would be less of a risk. 

@Christopher Phillips WOW! The breakdown of the different niche and strategies really helped me a lot! Basically the market is forever changing but there are various ways to succeed if you put in the work. 

THANK YOU BOTH!!

Time is the greatest ally of the buy and hold real estate investor. The sooner you buy, the quicker you start paying down that mortgage.

The best time to buy, is now.... Too many newbies are waiting for a market Correction, the reality when it happens interest rates will be higher and the Experience Investors are the ones that will be able to take advantage of the opportunities available..

When I started about 3 years ago everything I was researching was at a new time high, my only regret was not starting earlier..

If a deal makes sense and you have the resources to buy don't wait if your goal is to invest in RE.. 

I think the best time to get your feet wet is when the market its hot so that you have the experience to take maximum advantage when it's cold.