To be successful as a real estate investor in any form - except maybe purchasing the Vanguard REIT index fund - an investor needs education, knowledge and understanding of real estate principles, real estate law, and real estate finance.  

Purchase price: $129,000 Cash invested: $5,000Condo we lived in and fixed up.

Hello,I purchased my first rental property last year and rented it out for 10 months.

It may be a little scary but if you go higher on your purchase price, 400k and up. 

Quote from @Laurens Van swol: We are exploring the possibility of purchasing an investment property in Florida.

My partner and I keep an excel spreadsheet of rent, our purchases, utilities, taxes, insurance, and money spent on contractors.

.- Bulk Purchases & Portfolio Acquisitions: Banks and hedge funds often look to unload non-performing assets in bulk.

- Look into if property taxes are reassessed after purchase.

Process is simple. 1. purchase contract2. send contract to title company3. bring cash to closing and you're done

The idea is simple: purchase a property, live in one part, and rent out the rest to offset your mortgage or even generate profit.