Hi Daniel,
My name is Steve Olson and I'm an investment counselor with Jason Hartman's office. We hope you're enjoying the podcast! We work hard to get good content on there on a regular basis!
From your post I gather that you're pretty new to real estate. One question I always get from people (sometimes it's not asked but implied) is: "is investing in properties through your network worth it or is it something I should pursue on my own?"
I'll be the first to tell you: if you know how to acquire properties at the right prices, rehab them correctly, and manage them (or find the right property manager to do it for you), then you should absolutely do it!
If on the other hand your a busy professional or don't feel confident in your ability to do this on your own, we can be a great benefit to you.
Whatever you decide to do, however, make sure you:
1) ALWAYS get a third party inspection to verify the condition of the property.
2) Take steps to independently verify the value of the property through credible sources (typically comparable sales). Many times this is done through an appraisal if you use conventional financing.
3) Take steps to independently verify the projected income and expenses for the property. Many out there know how to make properties look good on paper, but in reality it's a different story.
Follow these steps (and I'm sure the experts on here can add more) and you'll protect yourself to the extent that you can from getting burned in real estate.
I hope this is a benefit to you. You're welcome to contact me anytime to discuss your real estate goals and I'll help where I can ...even if that means referring you to a different individual/company that can better help you than me.
Thanks!
Steve