One thing that will mean a lot to the realtor is their sense that you're serious, pre-financed, and you stick to your word and do what you said you would do.

Thanks a lot to @Eric Black @Brian Mathews @Steven Stokes and @Fedner Alzume for all the great advise.

Seems like a lot to have in reserves.

I joint ventured with my buddy builder and we hit the jackpot. 38 homes with nice profits.Point is to let your imagination run loose when your looking at a property and then work the numbers, you never know, for example when I had to move to my present location I looked at a duplex for sale in a great location of nice homes.

Sandy Paris finance has A LOT to do with RE.

That is... unless I could win the lotto and could show the bank $100,000 in my account, which probably won't happen either.

I know its only a small premium, but it seems like a lot to cover such an unlikely possibility.

I have a lot to learn and look forward to gleaning all I can from this site--and any recommended resources--before I start taking small steps to become my own investor.I'm mostly interested in investing for income as a means of supplementing and diversifying my retirement.

You've definitely hit he jackpot for resources with BP.

Yes, there is a lot to know/learn, but the earlier you start, the better!