I began investing in my early twenties as well and you just have to find the right tools / methods that work for you.

In twenty years of mortgage madness and relevant real estate experience, I'm actually in the camp that in historical terms, mortgage rates are not that bad..I certainly would not lend you my money, for one much less 30 years at less than 10%.

It was circa 1800, made out of chestnut logs, about a mile from downtown Gatlinburg on the Roaring Fork Creek. 

I talked to a lady in her twenties, who said that they bought that house, then said they were actually leasing, and already living there for 8 months, then changed her story to "we are living here for 4 months".

How has it changed in the last twenty years? 

I have been a real estate investor for over twenty years and have done a wide range of different types of investing. 

@Chris SeveneyThe first and only time I got a hundred upvotes was for "Hoo***s and Blo*," a three-word answer I have been strongly advised not to repeat on this site.Some of the old McRib posts used to get a solid twenty votes, every single time.

I've been investing in real estate for over twenty years and I continue to learn on every deal.

Therefore, I am looking into places like Taft, Fresno, Twenty Palms, Palmdale, Bakersfield, Hemet.

We moved here for my job in the Air National Guard, anticipating a twenty year retirement while building a real estate company on the side.And then life happened.