The market for real estate investing has been hot for the last few years and doesn't show any sign of slowing. If you're interested in the real estate market but struggling to find your niche or your area of expertise, you won't know until you dive in. It takes time and effort to learn about the market and to find your place in it so that you can make the most of it.

Here are five ways you can find your area of expertise in real estate.

1. Learn What's Hot

One of the best way to figure out what's exciting to you about the real estate market is to do some research into what's selling right now. If you find that you're interested in something but it's not very hot right now, find out what's heating up.

You'll find real estate blogs that cover just about every state and region in the union.

There are lots of different approaches that you can take in any region. You could take on commercial real estate or deal with residential. You could help investors get into larger commercial or residential ventures. 

You could even invest in these kinds of projects on your own.

There is new construction, preservation, and all sorts of logistical issues that accompany each type of project. You need to pursue what's happening in your region that you find most exciting. Just because something is happening in your region doesn't mean that you're interested in it.

Being a software engineer is a really great way to make a living but it's just not interesting to everyone. The aspect of real estate that's hot might not be the fit for you.

2. Trial and Error

Trial and error is one of the best ways to figure out what you like in an industry. You don't know what you don't like about something until you try your hand at working with it.

Look at what's available in your region and try to get a foothold in that part of the market. Try pushing a few properties or working on a given project for a little while. See who is willing to partner with you to show you the ropes. 

Don't reshape your whole career until you find something that you're passionate about. If you're not interested in the work you're doing right away, don't be afraid to drop the project and move on. Someone else is sure to want to pick it up and make money from that project.

3. See What's Missing

In every single market, there's something that's hot and is attracting everyone to it. If you see everyone gravitating toward that, you don't need to follow the pack. In fact, it can be pretty lucrative if you're willing to go in another direction.

Don't be afraid to think outside the box or pursue the thing that everyone else seems to be overlooking. There could be a lot of long-term gain in it if you're willing to put in the time and effort to learn more about it.

However, you should never assume that you're the smartest person in the room and that you have tricks that every expert before you missed out on. There are lots of people who may have tried to work in a particular way and failed. Figure out what they did wrong and what you can do differently.

Model your business in a way that sets you apart rather than keeps you looking like every other business out there.

4. What About Your Backyard?

Start by looking for your area of expertise in your own backyard. If there's a lot of potential real estate opportunity in your community that's a great opportunity for you to spread your wings.

Everyone wants to work with an experienced local agent who knows the region well. If you live in a place that's heating up, you're going to know what's going on with the schools, the job market, and the infrastructure. This gives you a leg up on realtors working for national chains who are just driving in to show properties.

If you have to travel, make sure you do lots of research. When people are looking to move or to invest in a region, they're going to have lots of specific questions. They're going to want to know what's happening in the local government or with zoning laws.

If you don't know anything about what's happening, you need to get informed.

5. Apprentice or Assist Another Realtor

Rather than going it alone and trying to figure out the entire world of real estate on your own, why not ask to work under another realtor. When you're able to watch an expert in the industry do what they do best, you get the chance to learn a lot.

If you've already got a lucrative career, this can be a good way to put in some time without giving up your current job. You can spend nights and weekends shadowing a realtor who you know or who you respect to find out how they do what they do so successfully.

Find someone who doesn't mind answering your questions or helping you to understand the minutiae of what it takes to work in real estate. When you have the space to ask lots of questions, you can grow and challenge yourself in the right niche.

The Real Estate Market Remains Hot

The real estate market is a great place to start investing and building your career. As you work in real estate, you'll have the inside track into what's hot, meaning you can find a job and also know how to build your wealth.

To know what makes the best real estate professionals so good, follow our guide for tips.