have you ever been in sales.. have you ever sold cars... do you know how to qualify present and close do you know how to ask for the order.do you understand the escrow function.. do you realize selling real estate in CA without a license is not legal.. how are you going to get these leads.. if 997 is stretching your budget then your only course of action is bird dog.. talk  pound on doors.. but even that takes time and car and gas money especially in LA..being with limited funds and doing anything real estate related in California is a pretty tall order with a failure rate I suspect at greater than 99%.I think if you want in the industry you should apply and get a job as an assistant to a top producer get PAID to learn .. save your money.. then think about next step.one thing I have seen in my years is starting real estate agents who get on teams work for 3 to 5 years build their confidence and bank account then go out on their own.. many to start their own business in 7 to 10 years.Also if your VERY detailed oriented one other way to be self employed is to start at a mortgage company and learn how to process loans..

But there's ways to stretch that out.1.

That being said, we are not stretched financially thin, and it wouldn't be worth it to me if we were.

Right now I am looking at a 4plex in a college town, the price is right but it is about 50-60 minutes away. 240k, rent 610/each — would I be stretching myself too thin?

I'm not stretching myself and can afford a loan, but my concern is that a correction would cause me to go bankrupt.

Army Corps of Engineers said it has decided to recommend approval of an ambitious, $1-billion proposal to restore habitat, widen the river, create wetlands and provide access points and bike trails along an 11-mile stretch north of downtown through Elysian Park."

It stretches the imagination to think a seller would not be aware of a "sizable" lien.  

However, these almost always require some rehab and turnaround efforts, which seem a bit of a stretch for beginners.Properties that are humming along well already are NOT bargain priced, sporting single digit cap rates typically, and that kind of return doesn't excite me too much.Please describe a typical deal that you are seeing that would work.

By no stretch is this legal advice, but handling the insurance is, as you know, a different animal relative to subject-to acquisitions.

Just a point made stretching the aspects out of boredom.But, yes, as you read about the topic, it's the same thing and never considered any difference until you asked!