Thanks for all the great advice

[Glen Rosen]

Hello,
I want to thank everyone who has given me advice in the various posts I have made. I was preapproved for a loan and will be flying to Phoenix on Tuesday to start my house search. I found an agent who seems trustworthy, has an MBA, and comes highly recommended. I'm hoping to buy a house, 3 bedroom, SFR, in Queen Creek or Gilbert, for about 120k. I previously thought about buying in Vegas, but I now think Phoenix is better for me. I'll rent the house out. Becuase of the advice I was given on this forum, I decided to buy a SFR instead of a condo and to invest in Phoenix instead of Florida of Vegas. I know that those other places may be better for some, but probably not me. My agent was recommeded to me by a close family friend, who has dealt with him for years. I didn't only accept the advice given to me on this forum, but I used it to get me thinking and check out things in other ways as well. Yet without your guys advice, I wouldn't know what to think about. In short, thanks for all your help and I'll keep you informed. I'm now living in Beijing and it will be great to return to the States.

[Sam M.]

How does it make sense to you as an investment? What is your calculated return? Can you handle a net loss (negative return) just to speculate on appreciation?

The last thing you want to do is just buy a rental because "everyone else is". It is a setup for failure to go in blind without knowing all associated costs and pitfalls.
By the way, only you can determine what is a good deal for you. A realtor is only in it to make a sale and not to give you advice on what constitutes a good investment. I had a realtor try to sell me on a rental "investment property" for 200k with gross rents at 1300.00/month. How does that make sense?