It’s good to keep in mind what businesses and attractions are going in or out of a certain neighborhoods to have a better understanding if a property has potential (ex. properties around the new soccer stadium will likely creep up in value).

I can understand you want to recoup your investment by doing the cash out refi, however your goal should be to also cashflow after the Refi. 

I'm trying to learn about my area's real estate market, which areas are good and rising in value, the trajectory of the market, approximately where it is in the real estate cycle, good places to look for deals, etc. W...

Lawn mowing for me (not in dfw) costs about 30 bucks for around .18 acre lot.If I’m understanding you correctly and they just reconnected wires in the electrical breaker that costs me 50 bucks.

Im about to get my professional engineering license so i understand why real estate looks better than engineering.

I understand that a lot of investors just use general contractors or their own expertise, but I am curious if maybe something like same day home inspections would be helpful, since some deals can get snatched quickly?

Hello Gene, also a newbie here but it occurs to me that you could find a lender that understands your goal and may agree to a large down payment with your father as co-signer. 

You have to be the type of person that will collect/evict as needed, you need to be the type that is either able to do work yourself for turnover or have a existing relationship with a crew, and you need to understand the culture of the neighborhood.I don't have any of that, so I don't buy that type of assets... and from the sounds of it like you I rather a higher class asset with different tenants.

Please explain, so I can have a better understanding.

WEll from what I understand him and his wife are in Europe for the summer...