We cannot commit a lot of free time, due to full-time jobs and a small child (no flipping/wholesaling, right?).

So many of these topics should be re-written as "Should I Commit Tax Fraud?"

.- IRS transcripts come back, revealing that there was a shady family member CPA committing tax fraud for years and the IRS said they owed several hundred thousand dollars.

Investing in dividend-paying stock or REITs requires very little time commitment, particularly when investors use brokers to develop and manage their portfolios.

If you sign that, and do not intend to occupy the property for a year you will be committing mortgage fraud.  

I would really recommend figuring out what kind of investor you want to be and how much time you want to commit to REI.

Yeah, short sales are a kind of fiction, a commitment that means nothing in reality.

Seems I have ran numbers 100 times on each potential property but just haven't committed to one yet soon I will!

We can give you a loan commitment before that.

I'm committed to learning as much as I can by reading and getting my hands dirty and meeting as many successful real estate investors as I can to build relationships and learn how to have success in my own pursuits.