Your peer and mentor network, and RE literature options, should be an occasional supplement - not a crutch.

http://www.lowes.com/cd_Special+Offers_381632314_Jon, I was in Lowes the other day and the sign stopped me in my tracks, selected carpet and they supplement the layer's labor from the deal, that money comes from the higher priced goods, not really a deal in my area as I can get my own carpet layer.

My goals are to build a supplemental retirement income for my husband and I (we are a little bit behind) and to build an income producing career for myself so that my husband can pursue an alternative career and leave his $140000 yr job without much of a change in living standards.

Again, this is from their website - We encourage buyers, sellers, and homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research such as: Getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agentGetting an appraisal from a professional appraiserVisiting the house (whenever possible)Why would they mislead consumers by promoting the site as the Real Estate source to count on.

@Marco Santarelli : You make an excellent point and as a new investor looking to supplement my retirement income, this is one of the strategies I am considering.

My wife, Stephanie, waits some tables and supplements our income for extra spending.

Patrick, there are basically two types here, those that make their living from real estate activities and those that supplement their income.Not necessairly an active/passive position.

Do you want to cash flow, retire from your current occupation, make investing full-time or just supplement your current income.  

As someone that is looking to buy their first investment and doesn't need supplemental income (also doesn't want a negative ROR) should I just bite the bullet and just shoot for a $1 cash flow and bank on appreciation?

It may not give you a supplemental income, but since you are young and you don't really need the income right now, this could be a great long term investment.