So, I recommend you not only strive to become someone who does deals but also someone who is a thought-leader in the sector.

BTW, I love when government gets involved in insurance, they are so great at showing the private sector how things should be done.

.$555,757,542 – Total dollar volume of single-family properties sold, 24 percent more than November 2012.The following sections describe trends in other sectors of the Austin real estate market.Townhouses & Condominiums The number of townhouses and condominiums (condos) purchased in the Austin area in November 2013 was 223, which is 35 percent more than November 2012.

With the whole revitilization of downtown and the whole capital boulevard sector in the city's plans I think its a great area for investors if they can find houses for a good price!

We're all here to help each other, learn some stuff along the way, and ultimately prosper.I would amend your post to include feedback from anyone or attach it as a file/link within the post and then people can review at their leisure.

Having recently resigned from my position as a credit manager, I'm considering real estate investment as an potential career change.I have a BBA and MBA, both in finance, and 20+ years of experience in the energy, technology, and mining sectors doing everything from treasury to financial planning & analysis to M&A integration, which I expect to be helpful in deal analysis.I currently have a fair amount of capital to get started, though some of it has to cover living expenses until I can generate positive cash flow.

Basically I have a rental that is 2700 sq feet with pool and landscaping and right now is using $50/mo for water and sewer (higher in the summer) so I budget $50 for any rental smaller than this with less water usage just to make sure I am not undershooting the value.Same for Electricity and same for gas: Call and ask or ask the owner/tenant what the average bill is.Repairs- I budget 5-10% of purchase price, but only as personal preference, you will figure out what you need as you go along.Vacancy-this is more than most would do, but I collected demographic data on all zip codes in Tucson so I knew the vacancies, employment sectors, house hold size, schools etc of my target areas.

I saw this as an opportunity to put my recruiting skills to work in the civilian sector.

The financial technology sector will eventually produce a winner that will capture the Generation Y’ers.

The fear of a crash in either sector also prevents most from doing anything.I would also say on the other end of the spectrum, overconfidence could also be as big of an enemy as fear.