I've been studying up for a long time and ready to take the plunge once I can save up some funds, unless I can find a good hard money lender willing to make a deal.I work in IT for the government, but my primary goal is to have enough properties that I can become FI and quit my day job to do this full time.

main thing to remember, UK and los angeles have very different economics.... local economies in each specific area in los angeles even vary quite a bitthe income or industry in south la vs west la vs north la are all very different.pick an area and dissect it make the best decision"ghettos" in Los Angeles have a lot of life long renters that are very much govt subsidized  so you are not investing with a tenant but more so with the government and managing a tenant as a way to get a premium 

So hours might not be cut but (insert something stupid) happened and rent will be late etc....Or the constant budget issues facing our government also can impact their pay.Generally speaking you're right though a member has more to lose than the average Joe, but that doesn't make all of them good tenants.

What’s a great place to start searching for grants today

Apparently we as property managers are required to withhold 3.07% of owner's income for out of state owners and properly file that withholding with the federal government.

You may want to check your local housing authority or commission for the exact guidelines that govern your area.Hope this helps!

On the upside, the government pays all or part of the rent.

Since Tyndall is near by, watch to see what the government does.

Louis County which has been in the crosshairs of county government for several years, specifically targeting landlords.

I have not done a lot of research on laws governing self-directed IRA business transactions, but with self-directed 401ks, the IRS seemed to be pretty good at covering all their bases to make sure that if I am getting that tax benefit, I remain essentially housebroke until kids who are my age are calling me grandpa.