I'm sure I could go to some midwest markets or even some more depressed markets in my region and get better pricing, but that's out of my wheelhouse at this point in my life as I have no desire to learn new markets when I'm closer to the end than the beginning. .Sure, obvious but over looked.

Literally the same thing everyone has said to me my entire life about why you shouldn't buy real estate now.    

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

If you are building on your own existing lot, you are sacrificing privacy for sure, but if you are comfortable with that in this stage of your life its a good way to maximize what you already have than trying to go to market and spending over $1M on a decent duplex. 

I work full time at a decent job, but have quickly learned that I needed to make some changes in my families life by securing our financial future. 

However my understanding is that exceptions can be made if unexpected life events happen such as job relocation, eminent domain, marriage, divorce, changes to family size, deployment, imprisonment, bankruptcy etc. 

Quote from @Paul De Luca:Personally, I'm not a fan of enabling bad tenant behavior and in life you get what you tolerate.

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

I am a little late to the game and have been told several times throughout my adult life to invest in real estate, but I ignored the advice.

So, I went hunting.Huntsville, Alabama, caught my attention because it’s a highly educated city with growing industries and a stable, diverse economy, as well as a really high quality of life compared to the surrounding areas.