I'm currently listening to Real Estate by the Numbers and just learned about Personal Financial Statements.

I've done this with my properties because I'm well known in my small town and don't want people to know what I own.LEGAL PROTECTION: By placing your assets in an LLC, you are legally separating them from your personal assets.

here is the situation. i left a really good paying job to take care of my 81 year old parents because my dad is chronically ill and my mom is almost there. i wont go into too much detail, but my sis doesnt help them. ill leave it at that. we have a person who comes twice a week to help with cleaning and other household tasks. i carry the bulk of the weight cooking their meals, running errands, grocery shopping, picking up meds, and taking them to dr appointments. its a full time job. i get a small salary of $1000 a month from a care giver sub contractor for the VA. ive been paying my bills with what savings ive had, but only have a few months of funds left. i own a duplex. i have over 200k in equity. i live in texas and texas has weird laws about refi and heloc/heloans when the property is 4 units or less and owner occupied. i would rather not sell, but if thats my only option i will have to at some point.does anyone have any advice or possibly be able to point me to lenders who might be able to work with my situation?

It's good that you are interested in Minneapolis since around 2/3 of all 2-4 unit transactions in the twin cities are in Minneapolis.If you want to meet other investors I recommend in-person meetups.

I recognize that this is a matter of personal opinion, but I am particularly interested in exploring the concepts of lease and sub-lease.- What measures can landlords take to ensure protection while renting, and what steps should be considered prior to seeking a tenant?

As a new investor (newbie), I was thinking this would be a great place to start based on my expectation of low start-up costs, and by personal experience, I also understand the value of the section 8 program.

A numbers game implies you will eventually get success guaranteed.The fact of the matter is unless you target every single person in the USA, AND there is a guarantee that at least one person is motivated, AND there is a guarantee they get no other mailers, or temptation from competitors and they pick you... 

@Jerry ZhangYou cannotYou can give a personal guarantee but then you would have to have other assets.What could happen and we have seen many times is they go into default and the 20% equity cushion goes out the window due to late fees, accrued interest and legal costs.

While its nice to borrow as much as possible, the risk involved can sink someone as in most instances their is personal guarantees involved and lenders will bankrupt sometime to try and get every penny they are owed. 

I have 0 debt, and a 770 personal credit score.