EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

@Travis HospTo start a successful real estate investment, leverage your VA loan, build a savings cushion, find a reliable property manager, and continue your education.

I do on the retail and development side,  Sad thing is MOST realtors and plenty on the lending side are not educated in the space. 

I had another tenant, a woman with an amazing job, high education, credit better then mine, was very clean, we knew mutual people in the neighborhood, the worst ticket she had was a parking meter ticket..Anyways, I thought I found the greatest tenant in town.

Hi Latif, I will be the first to say that I'm relatively new to this, but have spent the last 6 months deeply educating myself through local RE investing clubs, Fortune Builders, BP and other blogs and podcasts, and many books.Generally speaking, the only house I'd recommend paying down is the one you and your family intend to live in for the next 10-20 years.

Books are a great way to learn about topics and how to generally do things but the real education is going to be in the field. 

Understanding your risk tolerance can allow you to make more educated decisions.

We have been doing our homework, educating ourselves by reading books and watching educational videos online about how to better structure a company/ies for real estate investing.

The writing on the wall tells us Airbnb will be the biggest player in this space very soon (if they aren't already), and I want a good presence on there, with great reviews and Superhost status.Just my take.

I would say majority of travel nurses are hard working, well educated, well paid, and overall great people and tenants just looking for a clean, comfortable, and safe place to stay at a reasonable price.