I take after my Uncle who was a diamond cutter & entrepreneur, and my hazy notion as a child was that he was rich, simply because he lived in Laguna Beach, CA.

Jared, I host Black Diamond with free events in Waltham and Worcester, our next meeting is Oct 18 in Worcester, and the topic is Dealing with Contractors. 

Check out the Waltham Black Diamond meetings.Paul

You should also check out some local real estate investor groups such as Black Diamond REI in MA and the RI Real Estate Investor Group in RI.If you have some specific questions feel free to post them, you'll probably get several answers in short order :)

Find the numbers first, then analyze the area, because you can find diamonds in any coal mine :-)

@Peter GroteThe majority of the investors I know have people known as "bird dogs" who run around town looking for diamonds in the rough.

You found a diamond in the rough.

My Farmers Insurance agent has a product he sells me - I want to say the name is Diamond or something.

Welcome @Whitney Zelee..One of the first things i did when i started investing 2 years ago was getting the real estate license and that definitely helped me, especially with learning the market.Don't forget to join a local REIA.I personally like the Black Diamond networking event in Waltham. 

I want to buy a diamond in the rough and make it great again