I never thought at my age I can have a defined midsection!

After reading a few books and learning more about real estate I would define your investing goals (flipping, wholesaling, multifamily, etc...).

You're talking about looking at expected life of some of the building components and depreciating them at different rates? 

I am working on defining my strategy as i get more involved and I have at least settled on buying rental property to hold and generate steady stream of income.

Define what it means to be a tenant and what it means to be a guest.  

Moving the rear door over would have helped tremendously but it's not an option with the budget as the exterior has a very dated stucco style and we wouldn't be able to match color/texture and keep it in budget.So I'm looking for ways to define the open space directly opposite the kitchen.

Basically, this made me realize that I need to define my goals a bit more clearly...anybody else felt like a failure after making 5k? 

Often appreciation is overlooked, however this is a very important component that allows you to re-leverage at the appropriate times to build your portfolio towards achieving the goals of income replacement and wealth building.Keep educating yourself with the knowledge from the BP community.   

Aaron Hall what do you define as a long time?

@Keong Kam Depends on how you define a "bad" syndication.