The nation’s housing inventory is cluttered with foreclosures, short sales and homebuilders willing to make a deal. If you’re in the market to buy a home today, you’re likely weighing the benefits of each type of property available for purchase. Don’t be fooled. Not all bank-owned foreclosures are sold at deep discounts. Not all builders are slashing prices. Short sales can be a crapshoot, with some buyers enduring months of waiting and still not getting the property. All things considered, it’s possible that your best deal is purchasing a traditionally sold existing home, so don’t count those out of the running. To get the most for your money, it’s important to understand the local market’s inventory; market dynamics will have a lot to do with how various types of homes are priced. Also, do some soul-searching to determine how much risk you’re willing to take and the amount of time and money you’re willing to invest in a home.

Bank-owned properties

Foreclosures reclaimed by the bank, often called bank-owned properties, are often sold at a discount. However, the size of the discount depends on the market you’re in. A recent report from Zillow.com found that the typical discount for bank-owned properties, compared with a traditionally sold home, averaged 20% to 30%. According to separate data from RealtyTrac, an online marketplace of foreclosure properties, the average discount on bank-owned properties was 34% in the first quarter. There is more than one reason why the selling price of a foreclosure is lower than a traditional home. The seller is typically a bank, and would like to move (the property) off the books as quickly as possible. A traditional seller is interested in getting a certain price and is willing to stay in the market. Also, the condition of the home can be an issue. A buyer who wasn’t able to make mortgage payments also probably wasn’t able to keep up with needed maintenance. One of the biggest mistakes homebuyers make when buying a foreclosure is underestimating how much it’s going to cost to repair it. It usually costs a lot more than you think, you can add value to a property by rehabbing it, but probably not more than the cost you put into it. For the lower price, buyers also need to accept that they’re most likely purchasing a home that has been sitting vacant, which comes with its own set of issues because small problems — a leak, for example — can become big ones if no one is there to notice them. These homes also may have limited seller disclosures, because the owner — the lender — hasn’t been living in the home and thus has less information to disclose. Home inspections are generally recommended regardless of what type of property you’re buying, and they’re essential in the case of a bank-owned property. Location matters, too, in the pricing of a bank-owned foreclosure. In places with the highest incidence of foreclosure, bank-owned properties garnered the smallest discounts, compared with traditionally sold existing homes. The places that did not have very many foreclosures right now had large discounts. Another way to look at it: A homeowner aiming to sell his home in a market where a large percentage of sales are foreclosures will likely have to price it like a foreclosure just to be competitive.

Short sales

Short sales offer some of the best deals. A short sale is when the seller owes more on the mortgage than the home is worth, and the lender agrees to accept less for the property to make a sale. But even if you save money on a short sale, you could pay in other ways. Although lenders and government programs are trying to speed up the process required to complete a short sale, a buyer could still wait months just to find out he or she failed to get the home. The home is discounted partly because of the uncertainty that the buyer experiences. You need to understand there’s a reason why they’re less money — you have to play the game, you have to be patient. The market generally discounts short sales by 5% to 8%, compared with traditional sales.

New homes

In many markets, the supply of new-home inventory is dwindling. That has caused pricing in the new-home market to stabilize. That is, fewer bargains may be available for new-home buyers. There is less flexibility on the builders’ side to negotiate prices, plus with supply more in control, there’s not as much urgency to drop prices to move the homes that are currently sitting on the market. Buyers typically pay a 20% premium for a new home, compared with a traditional (nondistressed) existing home, but that also varies by location. That isn’t to say builders won’t find other ways to make a deal. They’re still willing to throw in incentives, like finished basements, as a way to sell a home. But if you’re looking to get the lowest price on a home, this might not be the best route. And if there are distressed sales in new communities you’re considering, proceed with caution. A lot of foreclosures in the area will drive down the prices of nonforeclosure homes, and that can extend to new-home inventory. It’s not impossible to find foreclosures and vacant properties in communities that aren’t even finished yet.

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Know your options. Since not all investment properties are the same, it’s important to determine what type of property fits your strategy. Do you want to become a landlord, or would you rather restore and resell properties? Are you interested in apartment buildings and other commercial real estate, or in buying land that can be developed? First-time real-estate investors may want to start with residential housing, since commercial real estate and land development still face challenging market conditions.

Partner with experience. First-time investors should find a real-estate agent experienced in investment property deals who can help you locate promising properties. Look for relational brokers who expect to do business with you again and therefore are going to be much more careful with what they recommend. A second option is to collaborate with a more experienced real-estate investor and close a deal together. In this economy, an experienced real-estate investor may be willing to work with you in exchange for the capital you can provide, giving you the opportunity to glean investment knowledge and experience firsthand. Even if you don’t collaborate with other real-estate investors, talk to them about pitfalls they’ve experienced. Go down to the general district court in your area and listen to some landlord/tenant cases so you can get a sense of what kind of challenges landlords face.

Look for the right location. If you buy a property with hopes of renting it out, location is key. Homes in high-rent or highly populated areas are ideal; stay away from rural areas where there are fewer people and a small pool of potential renters. Also, look for homes with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms in neighborhoods that have a low crime rate. Renters gravitate to a safe neighborhood, and if they have kids, they will want a good school district. Also think about potential selling points for your property. If it’s near public transportation, shopping malls or other amenities, it will attract renters, as well as potential buyers if you decide to sell later. The more you have to offer, the more likely you are to please potential renters.

Have capital lined up. Speak to potential lenders or even a financial planner about whether you have enough assets to handle the ups and downs that could come with investing. Even if you plan to rent out the property, count on paying the mortgage whenever there’s a vacancy. If you can have about six months of mortgage payments saved up, it’s there if you need it, and you can use that money for repairs. Even if you’re planning to fix up a home and sell it, you may end up holding onto it for several months in the current market.

Build a supporting cast. Don’t wait until a rental property needs repairs to find someone to handle them. Line up maintenance individuals who can take care of the different challenges that occur so you can simply call the person when a particular issue comes up. Other sources you may want to have relationships with are an attorney to consult with on tenant issues, a property management firm to handle the day-to-day rental affairs and an accountant to help you understand the tax ramifications of investing. The more support you have, the better you will be able to handle the problems that come your way. Whatever you do, understand that buying investment property is an entirely different experience than buying your primary residence. When you go to buy your own home, you usually have emotions in it. When you go to buy an investment property, you need to put all that aside and ask, ‘What makes sense?’

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