Real estate investing is far from easy, many people would say.

Buying a property and hoping to re-sell it quickly at a gain isn’t a workable scenario in the current business climate.

As far as long-term appreciation goes, you can buy a property, looking to purchase one at a price that allows you to pay management fees. Otherwise, you can manage the property yourself. But what about the tenants?

Commercial real estate is risky too, depending on the local market. So you are thinking about residential real estate. Managing it yourself may mean you are doing a lot of maintenance. And how do you find the right tenant? How do you create a lease? What you want is a stable situation with a tenant who stays a long time and keeps up the property. How do you get there?

You may decide to try a the truly hands-off alternative: a real estate investment trust (REIT). THis is a publicly traded fund that owns property (usually commercial) and/or mortgages. The value of these funds doesn’t trend with the stock market, so that can diversify your portfolio.

Like mutual funds, REIT funds must levy fees. The fees may cut into your profits, as owner. Instead, perhaps you would like to own a property outright.

Here’s a proposition to consider: an assisted investment where you are given a choice of new single-family houses for rental from low-cost local markets. You can also take advantage of negotiated contracts with reliable property managers, insurers, and loans at 5 to 10 percent down.

Using such a system, You can set up an investment with known costs, and then let the tenants pay off the mortgage for you. It’s a great way to start a college fund for your young child. All you will have to do is sell the house in 15 years and extract the equity.