Having gone through the work of rehabbing that property, plus having a 3-month-old, we're not keen on moving into a fixer-upper. 

Its a private deal so no realtor is involved (sorry nothing against realtor, seller is keen to sell privately).1. 2 Family 2100 Sq Ft, 5 Bed 2 bath recently renovated close to North St., Barrington Stage, Berkshire Medical Center, both have been rented approx 2k rent.Updated gas heating systems with on-demand hot water.

By now you've doubtless figured it out. 

He was not too keen on my extreme budgeting and ambitious goals. 

I was keen on the Smokies market - due to 1) mature str market 2) People will always go there for vacation.

I realize I could get section 8 rentals and I have read about advantages of section 8 rentals, but I am not keen on getting into it now as I am just starting. 3) Have people used neighbourhoodscout.com for getting info about a specific market, demographics, vacancy rate, and rents?

These are hot areas that the IRS is keen to investigate.

I understand the REITs (as they are called) could be a very useful addition to one's portfolio, especially for those folks who wish to invest in real estate but are not actually keen on owning a house or real estate!

At this point we are in the information gathering phase while saving up money for a down payment.I am extremely fascinated by all aspects of the industry and I am especially keen on the subjects that relate to the above strategy of remote buy-and-hold.

Hey, I am a complete beginner in real estate investing but really keen on doing the brrrr-strategy.