New member to the forums; researching whether REI is right for me (SF Bay Area)

[Andrew Berg]

Hello all,

Wow, what a community you all have built here! I became introduced by listening to the podcast, and then finally peeked in at the forums. I was totally blown away by the comraderie and friendliness of this board.

Anyway, I'm not currently invested in any properties but I'm looking for a more productive way to grow my money. All of the "Intro to Investing!" guides discuss a creating a mission statement and business plan, so I'll be working on that soon and will post it up to the New Investors board when it's ready.

The question I want to answer is: is it possible for me to, in two years, move away from the SF Bay Area and back to Pennsylvania (where I'm originally from) and stop working 9-5 to become a full-time rental landlord? This will be determined by the rate of return I can expect from various properties. I need to analyze a few sample properties and see what the spreadsheet reveals! Look forward to learning from all of you in the future.

-Andrew