Ok so a diff path then my previous post.I also wanted to invest in real estate but just assume( and bet is probably true) that most of the people that find truly good investments have  either or all of the following the most "average joes" don't:1.

If you had the opportunity to purchase a cash flowing property with no money down in a town of 500 that is 30 minutes from a metropolitan area of 130k in population, would you do it?

Penalties of these Federal charges may include:30 years in prisonUp to $1 million in finesThey have a "statute of limitations" - (with a third "T"  ;-) of 10 years from the date of the transaction - 10 years from now, you could get a very nasty call and hopefully, you put your reserve money in a good account that grew to cover legal expenses**********************************************And the universe could blow up as Doc says in Back to the Future " But, granted, that's the worse case scenario." 

I have been going back and forth between an appreciation focused investment versus a cash flow focused investment.

What is the best area in Birmingham to invest?

Original investment say $4,500 all in. 

I ended up spending a lot of money on both of these repairs, because I had to get a large portion of the main sewage line replaced.

To buy to invest and hold? 

I am in Los Angeles and investing in SE Wisconsin for the past few years. 

Definitely saved a lot of money.