Interested in investments in emerging markets? Well, you don’t need to look abroad, there may be many opportunities nearby.

Downtown homeowners can create wealth by organizing neighborhoods. They create value by helping people reconnect with their communities, and their work results in nicer communities and higher property values.

Before you are in a position to benefit from this real estate investment strategy, you will need to purchase a downtown real estate in the right location.

Here are 5 keys to ensuring your success:

1. Find real estate investments near the edge of downtown. There are great opportunities along the periphery of the “good” and “bad” areas of the city. The objective of a real estate investment in the city center is to benefit from the improvement of the “bad” part of the city. Shop near the outskirts and work to connect your property to the “good” part of the city.

2. Work with local neighborhood watch groups. Future benefits are directly linked to the effectiveness of grassroots advocacy groups. An emerging market owner needs these groups to provide passion, credibility, emotional support, media connections, political influence, and more. They provide the leverage you will need to solve problems that impair repeatability of the area. Work to strengthen these groups, but don’t invent one from scratch. Starting from scratch requires a tremendous amount of credibility that you may not have with your neighbors.

3. Buy real estate investments near a transit center. One strategy is to create homes that appeal to eco-boomers. This group is interested in sustainability and public transportation options. Additionally, as the cost of oil rises, so will the demand for transit-supported communities. Shop near a transit hub and capture the emerging demand for this feature.

4. Buy real estate investments large enough to make your efforts pay off. Use best practices, honed from more than 40 years of neighborhood watch case studies and other community organizing tactics, to transform the biggest ruined property you can afford. Find the big problem and make a big profit when it restores.

5. Buy real estate investments within the sphere of influence of redevelopment projects. Your local redevelopment agency will be able to tell you what private or public efforts are underway. You’ll want to consider properties near these sites to capture the excitement and economic energy associated with them. The promise of a better tomorrow is a very effective negotiating point to share when trying to lease your property.

Helping a community recover is rewarding and collecting the equity to restore the area’s reputation is a well-deserved reward. Is This Wealth Building Strategy For You?

I love the business adage that tells investors to study the “apple tree” and place their baskets where the “apples” will fall. It suggests that careful strategic planning leads to profit, and I have personally found this to be the case. Use these tips to find ideal downtown real estate investments, and with a little community development work, you will soon have a basket full of equity.