When I grew up my friends were playing outside and I was installing windows with my dad.  

Hey @Robin Secord  - as someone who is invested in both Detroit rental properties and the surrounding suburbs it has worked out well for me.In the suburbs I tend to focus on Dearborn Heights because that is where I grew up and know the area VERY well.In Detroit I had a mentor who helped me get some great deals on safe Detroit homes.

My family owned various rental properties as I grew up so I had first hand experience with some of the highs and lows of real estate investing from an early age.

Then it grew to people that they knew, and so on. 

I'm fairly new to the site as well lots of info here btw I grew up on the valley, North Hollywood to be exact.

I grew up in Naperville.

English eat Squab (pigeon), and I love sushi.During the late 70s and 80s there was a big cultural adjustment for recent immigrants in certain part of the county I grew up in (Orange County) and inappropriate, over the top jokes about missing dogs were rampant.Maybe your lease clause should be modified to read: "...no dogs as pets or livestock".  

I suppose for right now that the prospects for being an agent are more important to me (if I REALLY want to invest in the state I don't pick a few years down the line I can get a license there too)....I'm hoping that some of you might be willing to discuss your experiences and opinions on which state might show more promise for someone in my situation.some personal factors that might influence my decision:-i grew up in VA and know the northern areas of it extensively, don't know Maryland at all-but driving to VA from DC is considerably more difficult than driving to anywhere in MD-I will only be able to part-time until I build up a good network - and in rush-hour (when I'd be able to show homes during the week), driving about 10 miles away to somewhere in northern virginia (to show a home) could take up to 2 hours.

I grew up in WestEnd also so I know the risk and the rewards of investing here.  

Another being that my wife grew up in a family that owned and managed residential property.