My goal of refinancing was simply lowering our monthly spending to reallocate towards future investments.

Read "Long-Distance Real Estate Investing" by David Greene, then spend some time reading through the forums.

After spending all day dodging junk mail, junk e-mail, junk texts, and junk phone calls I have very little energy left for junk BP posts!

This is going to keep your bid honest, rather than lazier and keep your cash position stronger. 4) The only time you spend in this, is finding & closing on the quality assets and playing devil's advocates for repair/rehab/fixing costs.

My immediate goal is to acquire our first property and spend the next two years mastering the basics of real estate investment. ( Refining the Go and No property search criteria/ Learning the value of taxes and avoiding them as much as possible/ 1031 exchanges) Depending on my wife’s career orders, we may remain in Baltimore for 1-2 years, but I’m also exploring opportunities in West Texas, Sierra Vista, AZ, and Houston, TX.

Of course, managing your own properties is a good thing (instead of having to spend the money on a manager), but you have to manage your property in a professional manner.

I've used an online designer before, you send her photos, measurements of the room and existing furniture, and your budget and she presents you with design options and the links to buy!

You can EASILY pass several million to your heirs tax free and avoid at least a $1M in taxes if you spend anywhere near 20 years investing in real estate. 

If they are struggling then money they spend in one area affects their ability to pay other bills like rent.

If you are looking to build an ADU in the Los Angeles area, my partner builds them very well, with a great budget and in about 3 months.