Social media -surfing these days will almost certainly lead you into some iteration of real estate, from realtors' million-dollar listings to DIY-house-renovator-flippers. 

While it can be fun to see a dramatic home transformation play out over the course of an hour, it can be more fun to get actively involved.

Real estate often proves to be a lucrative investment, offering both income — in the form of rents — and appreciation — when you sell appreciated property at a profit. It's also a good way to diversify your portfolio, as an asset that's subject to different influences than stocks and bonds.

And for the everyday individual, it may be more accessible than you think. Although it requires considerable time, patience, and (of course) borrowing capacity, almost anyone can invest in real estate. 

Here are three ways you can get in on this future wealth building phenomenon.

1. Invest in your own home

Firstly, if you want to invest in real estate, start with your own home. Homeownership is a goal many Australians strive to achieve, and rightfully so. Residential real estate has had its ups and downs over the years, but it generally appreciates in the long-term.

Most folks cannot afford buy a home outright and need to take out a mortgage. Working to paying it off, and owning your home outright, is a long-term investment that can protect against the volatility of the real estate market.

It's often seen as the step that precedes investing in other types of real estate and has the added benefit of boosting your net worth, since you now own a major asset.

2. Become a landlord 

The classic way to ‘invest’ in real estate is to buy a property and place it in the rental pool. 

The buy and rent it out is a strategy that will only generate (positive) income if overhead costs are low. If your tenant's rental payment doesn't cover the mortgage, insurance, rates, and maintenance, you're effectively negatively geared.

Ideally, your monthly mortgage payment and the cost of owning that property is less than your weekly rent, while rent prices rise, increasing the amount of money you pocket over time.

3. House flipping

Some people take it a step further, buying homes to renovate and resell. Though those TV shows often make it look easy, "flipping" remains one of the most time-consuming and costly ways to invest in real estate. But it also has the potential to produce the biggest gains. 

To be a successful flipper, you should always be prepared for unexpected problems, budget increases, time-inducing mistakes, a longer renovation timeline, and issues selling on the market.

It's especially important to build a team of experts — tradies, interior designers, accountants and mortgage broker. And make sure you have the cash reserves to troubleshoot. Even experienced flippers find a project inevitably takes longer and costs more than they think.

Tell us: Enjoyed this article? Don’t forget to like and share.

And while you’re here, take our mortgage shredder challenge and discover how much you can save on your home and investment loans by using loansHub technology as your personal mortgage manager. To discover why loansHub and what we do, click here.

This article does not constitute advice; readers should seek independent and personalised counsel from an appropriate trusted adviser that specialises in property, a tax accountant and property or interior design specialist.