I am 55, tired of my career in the oil & gas business and want to supplement my retirement (hope to retire in 5 or 6 years) with passive income from real estate investments.We came to this site via a recommendation from a good friend who has been a member for approximately a year and gave raving reviews of the site and how much it has helped him in his real estate business.We are looking to invest in single family homes or 2, 3, 4 or 5 plex apartments in the Bakersfield area and really have no idea on where to begin.

She's 76 now and it's free and clear and supplementing her retirement very nicely.

I think everyone in the military can benefit from this article, and learn about the opportunities and possibilities of supplementing their retirement, especially if they’re in it for the long haul.I was in the Marine Corps when I bought my first property in 1995.

I would think it would be a little easier to build capital without having to pay for housing.I guess maybe make the decision of whether you want to buy and hold a piece of real estate or ---supplement your income - wholesaling/flipping/working doing something related to real estate.If I were you - my first step would be call a banker and see how much you would have to save to be able to get into a duplex/3plex/4plex and avoid PMI if at all possible.

Wholesaling to me is a stepping stone to supplement the income that I already make from my landscaping business that is in its 5th year, and to ultimately use the money to fund my business of flipping houses, which is what I will be doing.

Income from fiancee can be added after that point, assuming bottom line of 20k/yr, in 1 year(-5k for loans) I will save ~24k and then use traditional financing for future investments not using more than 50% of $$ saved to ensure there is a cushion for my first property.2) Wait it out for 6 mos and build up some capital(200/mo*6=1200 saved, not much), then follow plan 1, bank around 24k after 1.5 years.3) Wait even longer , say 1 yr, and start out with ~12k saved, hopefully better credit and qualify for better loan terms.Those are my 3 choices right now, I want to start ASAP while the market is down and money is cheap, long term I would like to buy more multi's, maybe a few SFR's and do a few fix-and-flips in between to build up enough to supplement my W2 job with rental income and retire early.So the question is: Should I start now?

After college, sales of vitamins and supplements, total gym rat(no responsibility back then), from there managed a large insurance agency.

I basically hang out in the misc sub forums,and the weightlifting/supplement forums.Yeah you might be right.

To supplement my income I would help people locate rentals and they slowly began to turn into buyers.

You can also retire early by cutting your standard of living...maybe the next house you buy can be your retirement home...1600 sq ft in a nice but cheap area on a 15 year note...and sell your primary to live off of and supplement with consulting.