There is a monthly one in Raleigh that I used to attend regularly, but I haven't been in some time.

There are also state and federal programs available to help fund bed spaces, making this not only a meaningful investment but also a profitable one.

It's more important than doing individual property analysis, because when you do a proper market analysis, you are analyzing ALL of the properties in any market(s) at the same time.Now, one of the analysis "pitfalls" is not understanding what defines a market, or more importantly, a Micro-market.Another problem is focusing on one strategy, and trying to fit each market/property. 

So, again, an opportunity to take on less risk initially to get the learning curve out of the way.Bottom line - your approach doesn't have to start out one or the other. 

He sells every one he builds,and as far as I know, as the company owns very few.

Plus, no one is forcing them to sell to me, the CHOOSE to sell to me.

I’ve read the Bigger Pockets book on long-distance real estate and am eager to get the ball rolling. 

You want enough so that a potential law suit would go away if the insurance paid out.Best thing is to highly maintain your property and treat guests with respect so that no one would ever want to sue you.

One month of vacancy has cost you $2,400.

We tested a bunch of paid services and, honestly, found that some of the free ones like TruePeopleSearch and FastPeopleSearch were just as good for most cases.Now, I’m not saying you can’t find a better paid option, but you have to ask yourself what you’re really paying for.