If the market is down you will have to understand up front that purchasing a investment for creative real estate investing will require some intelligence. You do not want to have to restrict yourself to buying a house that you will need to live in. For instance, that means you buy a investment and occupy it until you sell it. In such a location you will really need to get ahead on other investors. You will not likely be able to market it any higher than what the location brings. Therefore, you need to buy at a substantial discount to obtain a fair amount of money if you are attempting this the old way.
In this case investors will start by studying listings in the immediate locations. Because of local real estate markets and the number of motivated sellers, people who are flipping real estate are making out very well. Regardless of what you plan on doing, everything aside, you have to decide whether the money you made against the level of labor that it took getting the house successfully wholesaled. This is why creative avenues which include wholesaling real estate are much better
As always, remember to educate yourself about assigning properties and/or seek a knowledgeable colleague before you decide on any new real estate business and investment pursuits.