Regarding the home purchase, we certainly ended up spending more than we initially set out to when we started looking a few months ago (amazing how your budget creeps up as you start looking), but to live in an area we love (with a parking spot!!)

My first 8-10 deals I intend to spend A LOT of time reviewing possible property's to ensure that I'm doing everything correct and so I can begin to grow the best reputation possible with my investors.

The next step is to read, read, read, read, read and read some more...There's a lot to learn, and if you spend a couple weeks reading (BP is a great place to start), you'll start to get a basic understanding of the industry and can ask questions to help fill in the blanks.

You really need to spend a couple bucks and get professionals in your area into the property and get their advice and dollar amounts.Foundation is more then cosmetic and probably the most important issue you need to address first, its not just fixing it, you would need to figure out why it had issues too.

Evaluate if that's where you want to spend your money or if you have cheaper and more flexible options.

Assume you will spend about $5000 in costs to do the refi.

A broker knowing what you are looking for Is like a needle in a hay stack could look for months and months and not find it as people are throwing out multiple offers.Buyers have to be ready, willing, and able to buy AND I will add realistic.

And potential for bigger ones in the future.Step two is to spend less than you make.

You end up with a legal mess and possibly lose all equity.My advice is to spend $500 with a good real estate attorney to learn the law and risks in your state.

However, on balance college education is in a very serious bubble.When, following 9/11, the then-president Bush came out and encouraged us to “go spend”, the media was at his throat – how dare he…Well, what's going on now is worse.