There are some books as well but I haven't checked how many are free vs. pay now.Usually I recommend RIREIG at this point in a welcome message but you've obviously been going for quite a while - glad to hear you've enjoyed it and hope to see you at the upcoming "landlord round table" meeting next month!

I wondered why the City of South Bend would hire an out of town company for the study until I looked at their national client list which includes over 450 reports for builders, developers, cities, non-profits, planners, investors, lenders, small companies and development subsidiaries of several Fortune 100 companies.You can read the report here https://www.southbendin.gov/sites/default/files/fi...The report is mainly about the residential market potential of downtown South Bend but the gist of it as it relates to your question is that on page 5 it states that approximately 60% of the households in the entire City of South Bend are owner occupied and 40% are tenant occupied.The US Census Bureau data confirms this with their latest data showing appx 59% owner occupants and 41% tenant occupied here:  https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/...

I hope that getting my license first will help me bring something to the table when it comes time to find a mentor.

Should be easy to grab an outside table with a small group and we can then talk about creating a meetup and the next steps.  

As I stated before everyone needs to be able to identify what they can bring to the table to make something happen.

Just tell the ladies at the front table that I invited you. to your success.  

Following rules generally apply:it has to be an all cash purchase, meaning that no debt can be brought to the table. 

If you accept the $26k drop, see if the buyer can either bring more cash to the table, or if they have more then a 3.5% down payment, ask them to instead apply that cash over 3.5% to a higher purchase price.

I would just get the basics: sofa, coffee table, a set of pots and pans, dishes from a local discount store.  

Yes you can refi with a very few HML's but you will be leaving alot of money on the table with their higher, much higher interest rates.Maybe go ask one of these people telling you not to get a job to help you out in REI!