This is a great area for it - slow and steady growth and highly competitive when it comes to attracting employers and  a good diversity of companies. 

You didn't fail...you succeeded in verifying (and critically thinking about) something as opposed to just accepting it because others say it's true.Something that a lot of people confuse about the 2% and 50% rules though -- they aren't UNIVERSAL rules...they are rules OF THUMB (the term "rule" is often confused).  2% rule of thumb doesn't say you need to buy 2% properties, just that if you buy a 2% property, there's a reasonable chance (see exceptions disclaimer below) of generating decent returns.  50% rule of thumb doesn't say that every property, every year, in every location will throw off 50% expense ratio, just that a long-term, diverse average is about 50% (see exceptions disclaimer below).Of course, there are of exceptions to both of these rules of thumb. 

Great diversity out there.

But of course, as a newbie, I'm anxious to learn about as many facets of the industry as I can.I'm a long-time lurker, but first-time poster to the BiggerPockets forums, and am excited to get involved with such a diverse, active and engaged online community.

Biggerpockets community is truly awesome through their diversity (buy and hold, wholesalers, bird dogs, commerce, developers, flippers, agents, etc).

Here's why I like Indianapolis:1, Diverse, vibrant economy (lower unemployment than Dallas)2.

I definitely do want to stay a little diverse.

Growing populations and jobs with diverse economies and modern industries is important to long term asset value.

The podcasts are definitely eye opening and the diversity in each guest's approach to real estate investing is what makes them an even more valuable resource.

I use LLCs to loan money from diverse sources.In my state (New Hampshire) it is cheap and easy to register a new LLC.