For illustration purposes, the investor with engineering and/or construction background may excel building in a market where there is ease in doing business and can build efficiently whereas the doctor may have greater success in the established market where significant barriers already exist but can afford the entry price and can ride the waive of continued appreciation and offset their high salary by depreciating the expensive building they acquired.  

We lucked into a rehab project and successfully run a short term rental in Bell Buckle TN.

Obviously, some of these businesses and investments are doing well so a successful business doesn't imply that the owners aren't shady, which was one of the points I made.

I moved from Portland OR and I now own a successful rental portfolio.

No question is ever too small or “stupid” here—curiosity and determination are key to success in this business.

There is a lot you need to know to be a successful investor and landlord and while nothing beats doing it -  as the best way to learn - you really need to have a good understanding of the fundamentals and the ins and outs.

In the end, I got to successfully set up an account and fund my investment, which is much further than I would have gotten with any of the other banks/credit unions I tried. 

And I wish you all continuous success in the Real Estate business. 

Flipping is about as least passive as it comes, so just make sure you wrap your head around how much time and management it will take to be successful flipping.For anyone getting started, I always suggest these 3 steps:1. 

Quote from @James Kiny: We are a welcoming group of investors -seasoned and prospective - looking to share ideas, talk over problems and celebrate successes of our group members.