Real estate is one of the great 'meritocracies'.One does not succeed based on looks, height, weight, religion, gender, ethnic origin or political correctness.Success comes from much hard work, a lot of learning, more hard work, some brains, and probably a little bit of luck as well.

The population outlook is flat for the next few years and there are a lot of vacant lots available to build on. Looking

So, I gave up on looking for them, have you found any like new stainless appliances?

Great tip on looking out for getting hit with any kind of California premium.

@J Martin great tip on looking at commute times, CityData.com has a table on it like this:(Note this is the chart for my hometown, and yes people here complain about their 'brutal' 15 minute commute :)

If you don't mind sharing I would love to hear if you have had any success.I am particularly keen on looking at options, such as Homepath homes.Thanks for posting.Jay

The Homepath loans do not have any PMI, even if you put down less than 20%.If you plan on looking at a property, run it against the 1% rule (as a variant of the 2% rule).  

Will keep on looking and learn more from other local investors. 

I have not moved forward on looking at a building yet, but wanted to create a foundation first, sounds like a great first step.

@Muz Khan I wouldn't give up on looking into hard money either.