I would prefer a villa on the mediterranean because of the climate and the temperature of the water.

The tortoise beats the hare EVERYtime.But thank you for the pep-talk!

You get to write off your depreciation against your income from the property, which with a 200K property is something like $7,000 in depreciation a year.Now, yes, cash flow is a slow moving beast, but it is the difference between the tortoise and the hare.

The tortoise always wins the race.

I agree with everything on here - Congrats - and although I am also still a newbie....I'll get there in time - at my age - I certainly feel like the tortoise, not the hare....

You can visit prehistoric landmarks, sail into hidden coves, admire picturesque bays and the typical mediterranean scrub that grows luxuriant and spreads its scents all around.

My husband is a very smart guy, but sometimes a bit too pessimist for my taste...but oh well, I told him already, I might not be the hare in the ‘The tortoise and the hare’ story, but I am that turtoise, I’ll take my sweet time but I’ll get there..eventually!

Be patient, remember it is the tortoise who wins the race.  

Think of "the tortoise and the hare": who wins that race?

I'm an avid reader and actually take pleasure in this sort of research, but what frightens me -and this is no shade to all the kindness of info offered me by some of the industry professionals here-, .... is exactly that: There is such a largess of professional brokers, flippers, money managers, agents and companies vying for my attention that at this point, my instincts tell me to back into my tortoise shell, read a few books on this, and THEN come back into this information market.