General starting out questions

[Ezra Tingler]

Hello,

I am new to the forum and new to real estate investing. I have been reading the Ultimate beginners guide and listening to the podcasts. I have a ton of questions and welcome any answers or advice.

1. Are there any members in the Raleigh, NC area who would like to meet to discuss any real estate topics?

2. I am in the process to repairing my credit, should I jump in and start with a fair credit score or wait until I'm back in the good to excellent range?

3. Is it good or standard practice to carry a mortgage on every buy and hold property?

4. Which is better for beginners, flip or wholesale?

5. Would you recommend getting marketing/mailing list for direct mail from title agencies or from somewhere like list source?

Thanks

Ezra