REI Central is the most popular meetup, but there are several other that are worth attending as well.

As you mentioned, having a couple of rental properties as a safety net can provide steady passive income, especially in times of uncertainty or if you decide to slow down in the future.

Hey Antonio - I have a couple of GCs in the Austin market that I refer over to investors.

My friend got a line of credit on on a couple of his properties.

There was a Tampa Bay Times opinion piece a couple months ago about a person leaving Florida and when I read it they were leaving because of politics.

I took a look at the listings on their website.Most of their inventory is 30+ min from the 'downtown' area.Seems like they charge $400 - $600 a bed in Dallas and Houston + a move-in fee to the guest.It would be interesting to know what their management fees are.You should be able to make money based on those numbers if they have a nice occupancy rate.I personally wouldn't rent from there because I prefer my own space but there are definitely people out there that like to save a couple hundred on rent or even enjoy having roommates(Company) around.Best of luck!

Hi Elizabeth,It sounds like you have a couple of options. 

A great way to start is by attending RE events and joining a local investors association.

I am checking out a couple of books to read and I have the time available to study and learn. 

Looking forward to attending more breakout sessions at BPCON this year and meeting more presenters just like Scott!