The 8 to 10% is worth its weight in gold. 

I lived in Toronto for a couple of years, and the real estate there is quite funky.Making the trip and meeting people in person will be worth its weight in gold...GREAT CALL on that.We work solely in Chicago as a general contractor...for now. 

The good ones are worth their weight in gold, but does the license make them magically smarter?

Therefore, I ended going with the Gold plan which was about 20k, putting most of my savings towards this buy in.

I particularly resonate with the idea of 'always be analyzing'—so crucial to stay flexible and adapt to changing markets.Your point on opportunity cost is gold.

This wild ride underscores the power of relentless follow-up and the hidden gold in every lead.

If you can find local deals (within 2 hours of where you live) that make sense, they can be gold mines. 2 hours seems to be the max that most people would drive if you HAD to do your own showings or move-in prep and local management proves unreliable.

I feel like I found a gold mine. lol.

These places are gold mines!

You may be looking at single-family homes and miss out on a multi-unit property that does not cost anymore investment cash than the single-family and you will miss out on a gold mine that can make youfilthy rich.99% of all investors, including the gurus, do not know how to analyze investment properties the right way.