@Tara JosbergerCharleston is a strong market for real estate, but local regulations play a big role in investment strategy.

Selling means giving up an incredibly cheap cost of capital, especially in an appreciating area like 28277.I direct my investors to 28277 all the time for appreciation-focused plays.

Sometimes the best investment is found in a 'transitioning' market that is just outside the 'great' market and is in play to be the next great one. 

I created lists, searched virtual markets and was able to skip trace all of these for free...or so I thought.

Sidenote: I am a note investor and play in this space as my full time job, so I am not some crackhead. 

Seems like you are looking for a passive income play. 

If we were heading for a crash, prices wouldn’t be holding steady like that.Now, let me tell you from my own experience—I own 32 properties, and here’s how things have played out:15 have dropped about 20% in value (mostly in areas where demand cooled off).10 have stayed flat, meaning no loss or gain.7 have actually gone up in price, which proves that not everything is crashing—some pockets are still appreciating.And I don’t touch condos.

Real estate is all about learning as you go and playing the long game.

Also have been told that you need to pay for it by some people and others say its free. 

We tested a bunch of paid services and, honestly, found that some of the free ones like TruePeopleSearch and FastPeopleSearch were just as good for most cases.Now, I’m not saying you can’t find a better paid option, but you have to ask yourself what you’re really paying for.