In other words, I'd hope to pay market price to rent the place out so the home buyers can get an optimal but realistic return on their investment.So my goal to make this appealing to me, as a potential renter, is to also be one of the buyers.

That precludes smaller places.

If you are using RE investing to try to avoid going to school, your intentions are not in the correct place.

Make sure to have clear rules in place.

Banks must approve a short sale for a short sale to take place, and banks hire appraisers and other real estate agents to perform broker price opinions (BPOs), or estimated values of the home.The goal would be to negotiate with the seller before the home becomes a short sale. 

You came to the right place for information, Kemi! 

Purchase price: $187,000 Cash invested: $15,000 Sale price: $259,000 I got tired of moving place to place and worrying about finding roommate, security deposits and not having enough money to deal with maintaining someone elses home.

On the other hand, if you're working with a lower budget and cash flow is your priority, say under $180k, Cleveland is the place to look.

Although he is a banker, he thinks having the ability to operate as a broker and place loans with 30+ other lenders, in addition to his bank, is the "best setup."

I do a meetup in Mesa on Saturday morning's which is a good place to come meet even more RE professionals and investors.You have the experience so now you just need the right strategy to grow the portfolio.