With a record number of homebuyers/investors taking advantage of the incredible new opportunities to purchase rental properties, in return there are more property owners trying to attract new tenants during the upcoming New Year. Unfortunately, targeting the ideal tenants at the right time has always proven to be tough for many new investors and it’s certainly no different during the current soft market we are in.

With apartment rentals at extreme lows in many regions across the country, many rental property owners are worried about vacancies during 2010. However, rental apartments are not always a good indication of rentals across the board. In fact, many landlords have experienced much success targeting certain subsets of renters such as students. College enrollments are up all over the country and the market for affordable rental properties throughout the school year is big business for property owners. The vacancies within the rental market overall has created a homebuyer/renter ‘s market with so many options for sophisticated and or picky renters to choose from. There is no difference when it comes to students who, lately, have been opting for rental homes and other properties opposed to the traditional apartment and dorm properties.

The large number of students looking to rent properties throughout the year has created a great new opportunity for many landlords, although its still a matter of knowing how to target and attract students to your rental property. One thing to keep in mind is many students are looking for houses for rent opposed to apartments for the benefits that come with a home such as a backyard or ability to have pets. These are things that you will certainly want to highlight when trying to rent your property to potential student renters. With apartment vacancies at the highest they have been in years, it’s also important to remember that apartment rental prices will inevitably decrease. The value of your rental property in terms of student renters will ultimately be affected by this and you will want to keep that in mind.

With the state of the economy, many aspects of the real estate industry have been rather uncertain for much of the past year. However, the New Year brings new opportunities and many investors have definitely been taking advantage. While savvy investors are typically always the first to take advantage of openings in a profitable market, current trends suggest its not just typical investors treating their real estate purchases as investments.

A new study by the Move.com Homeownership Survey shows us that the amount of homebuyers treating their purchase as an investment has quickly begun to increase as uncertainty in the market decreases. The study shows us 12 percent, up from just 5.6 only seven months ago, plan on purchasing a home with the intention of it being an investment. With 25.3 percent of homebuyers interested in purchasing foreclosure properties, and 42 percent of them considering the purchase to be an investment, it’s quite easy to see that we are truly entering an investors market.

“This latest Homeownership Survey validates what many had hoped to see in the housing markets — affordable prices and ample inventories are restoring the appeal of real estate to investors while providing opportunities for first time home buyers to enter the market,” said Move, Inc.’s chief revenue officer, Errol Samuelson

To discover the motivation behind this increase in the number of homebuyers treating their purchases as investments we look to Homeownership Survey. The real motivation for most buyers seems to be the ability to profit from discounted foreclosure prices. A large portion of these buyers certainly expect foreclosure prices to make their investment profitable with 73 percent of homebuyers surveyed expecting their property to increase in value at least 10 percent over the next five years.

The survey was also able to give us some great insight into the motivation for specific homebuyers purchasing foreclosure properties as investments. For example, 17.4 percent intended to utilize the house until a sale can be made for profit, 13.2 percent surveyed intended on converting the property into rental units until profit can be leveraged, and 11.3 percent of potential foreclosure homebuyers intend on renovating or fixing a house to further increase potential resale value.

The resale residential and commercial real estate markets are not the only ones feeling the affects of the economic downturn. Landlords and vacation property rental owners have been forced to think of creative methods of attracting visitors that may have tighter than normal budgets during the current soft economic climate. One inspired tactic that many rental property owners have employed is a layaway, installment payment plan option. With the retail sector offering payment plans for budget savvy consumers, why not vacation property owners too?

While a layaway/installment payment plan option is something that initially seems to be beneficial only to guests, there are also some advantages of the process for property owners as well. Not only is it easy on tight travel budgets, it also provides owners with the added peace at mind of booking vacations and receiving income from them well ahead of time. This gives owners the ability to secure rates that they are comfortable with and not be forced into trying to book a property last minute at less than desirable rates.

The simple fact of the matter is less and less travelers have a large, lump sum of money to drop on a vacation at any given time throughout the year. Providing vacation travelers with a payment option that can be designed to best suit their lifestyle and ability to make payments is something that can help encourage many would be travelers into taking advantage of vacation opportunities they thought they couldn’t afford.

The approach owners take can vary depending on their potential customer’s specific needs, which can once again make your property much more desirable to potential vacationers. Rather than requiring a 50 percent down payment, you could accommodate a traveler’s current budget and divvy the rest up through a monthly payment plan leading up to the date of the vacation. This is an approach many property owners have found success with. You will truly never know how many potential visitors have passed up on your property due to inflexible payment options and most likely be surprised how desirable your property becomes once introducing a flexible payment policy.