I have the option to buy a 1,300-sqft 3-bed, 1.5-bath house in South End neighborhood of Stamford, CT, from a family member before it goes on the market.

@Zack Whiting - You are in a top tier market for investment properties!

Rich Ng That's good to know, I know people who have had issues in Salem with big differences between market and section 8.

Quote from @Robert Jones: @Kristi Kandel what market are you in? 

But it goes to show everyone reading this that marketed projected returns are often the primary metric many investors look at.  

You’ve already got a solid foundation—understanding market trends, deal structuring, and negotiations will give you a great head start.I would recommend focusing on learning one niche at a time.

Also, we're not getting anywhere near market rent for the home since its only half the home being rented, however we do feel that we're getting what similar efficiencies are getting in the neighborhood.   

Think about your market and what people are willing to pay a premium for.

Any brokerage can be the right fit for you so long as you commit to taking initiative and putting in the work.By 'work', I mean income-producing activities (lead generation and follow-up) i.e. cold calling, door-knocking, contacting your sphere of influence, networking, hosting open houses, running online advertising, marketing (paper or online), or anything else that will get you in front of prospective clients.My first broker rarely answered my phone calls and by the time she responded, I'd often already have the answer I was looking for.

Often, I am not able to keep all of my ira funds invested in active loans so I would like to be able to keep the money that is not invested in loans in a liquid "money market" type of fund on a temporary basis.