I look at a specific property, then the market its in, and I base all my decisions on actual cash flow vs future potential income (and of course how much and how long it will take to get it to its highest and best use)This simple recipe helped me survive bad times and prosper in good times with a great record through 1991 Gulf war, 2001 Terrorist attack, 2008 Great Recession, and the pandemic of 2020. 

My plan of attack right now is to do as much research as I can in my free time until I feel I confidently grasp the overall concept of real estate investing and how it fits into my specific goals.

I even had a GAP funder ready to jump in if we needed "Chip Brown " A great guy.I even lined up my "C" buyer but the broker i had working the deal who assured me he could get the deal funded told me he was going on vacation and would pass the deal to another broker who could "possibly" get it done by mid January.The seller would not go for the length of the extension and I did not like the whole last minute pass off to a new guy so i pulled the plug On it and will regroup and save up and attack it again early Feb 2017.A learning experience to say the leastLesson I took away.

I'm looking to buy there when my daughter graduates in 2025, but the cost is giving me a heart attack.

This is it in a nutshell- If I have a piece of property that attacks renters living paycheck to paycheck- that dont have bank accounts, credit cards and is not in a great area (C) - then the property is a sec8 candidate.PROS: I can get market rent (or a little bit lower) but guaranteed income.

They get up every morning ready to attack the phones, hammer follow up, and create a solid foundation of systems.

Someone who decides to actually spend money to go after you will initially find that they will likely need to spend more going through entities than attacking you personally, this may deter them from acting.