If after several months of research you decide real estate investing isn't for you (which is perfectly all right), you might want to take the advice of Warren Buffett and consistently invest in a low-cost index fund that tracks American business.

Buy stock market index funds if you are lazy. 

“Of course, that’s likely dependent on the extent to which mortgage rate expectations are met with actual mortgage rate declines.”At 6.56 percent on Dec. 29, rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages ended the year down 1.27 percentage points below a 2023 high of 7.83 percent registered on Oct. 25, according to daily loan lock data tracked by Optimal Blue.But Palim cautioned that even if mortgage rates keep falling, economists at Fannie Mae continue to believe home sales will post only modest gains in 2024, with elevated home prices continuing to pose affordability challenges for first-time homebuyers and others.The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI), which distills six questions from the National Housing Survey into a single number, increased 2.9 points in December to 67.2, in large part because of rising consumer expectations that mortgage rates will continue to fall.While only two of the index’s six components improved from November to December (mortgage rate expectations and buying conditions), the HPSI is now up 6.2 points from a year ago, and 10.5 points above an all-time low of 56.7 registered in October 2022.The survey also showed that consumers are less certain home prices will continue to go up.

For example I just sold a house, made 240K in two years give or take after expenses, and can now roll that profit into index funds, turn key properties, etc.Yes, appreciation is a bit more risky, but I wouldn't call it gambling if you know the economic fundamentals. 

Today's affordability is down 22% from last year and puts us at 46 on the affordability index.

I’ll be honest I don’t like the combo of low cash flow in a class area, if you get some great return that’s one thing, if you get limited cash flow but the property appreciates that’s another, but low cash flow, and limited to no appreciation, I’d honestly rather be in an index fund or something at that point. 

Areavibes.com says that Granbury, TX is a good town for living, but Granbury property crime index is higher than Texas and National ones.

You need to estimated the remaining useful life of each component and build out a capex budget that is indexed to inflation. 

I'm looking for the Forum Index page that lists all of the forum categories.I'm sure this is a total noobish question, but still I can't seem to find it.Where is the Forum Index page that lists all of the Forum categories and Sub-Categories...?  

However few sure things that will happen:- we will become nation of renter because The Fed is printing money and those money goes to the stock market and ultimately real estate- 1% Market in Alabama and STL will be sure going to be 0.8% market in next few years, there're already changes compare to a year ago before covid (before massive low interest rate in history)- In your Orlando market, up until 2015, the typical R/V in your market is 0.8;  today it is 0.6-0.7 with affordability index of 31%.