You need someone to quarterback on your behalf or the loan side of things can be a very painful and time consuming experience once you get down into it. 

It is a good way to save some money but may be too time consuming. 

The podcasts are great.. how does she best consume content?

More choices for consumers is usually good.

Joshua Lyon : Not clear from your statement whether you knew ahead of time that this was an international wire transfer.This FDIC page may be a good start on what your protections are and what to do now in that case:https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/news/cnsum13/sending-money-abroad.htmlIn any case, you should file a “complaint” with the FTC and request a cancellation of the transfer from the banking institution on your end (this will not get your money back, but it’s a step you need to take.)There was a lawsuit brought up by First American Title against a real estate agent who allegedly failed to secure his email account.

Offer him a modest incentive of $100 to $500. 

Modest calculations show more than 20% profit off of the ARV to be more than likely.

Did my research, found a few sources and built up a portfolio of publicly traded REIT's with a small modest size of around $20K (and growing of course) producing div's. 

We are also open to taking on some modest renovation work.My first experience with real estate was as a young teenager, when I accompanied my grandparents as they shopped for a small, single family homes in my childhood neighborhood.

Real Estate can't consume my life (yet).