I recommend you contact a residential banker and a commercial real estate agent and start looking at deals right now, even before you are ready to buy.

Had the help of David Armenta of Armenta Realty, who walked us through the process and taught us the importance of our first home purchase.

When you are new as an investor, you also don't want to work with a new agent (you).Overall, I think a RE license is good for access (to homes to get reps and to the MLS) and I think the course itself is way more valuable for investors than agents (most just stay in residential and don't need to use all the weird stuff you learn).

However, I'm now reading Dave Meyer's book Start With Strategy to learn more about whether long-term residential rentals is even the best approach or if I should be looking into other strategies, in light of my overall goal.After Start With Strategy I plan to read Set For Life by Scott Trench, but what other recommendations do you guys have at the strategic level?

If you decide to self manage and want help with other functions we can totally help out.We also buy and sell real estate (candor realty), have a repair and maintenance company (CMR Construction) (includes snow plowing, lead abatement and full fledged rehabs) If you need any of those support services please let us know.

The only defense he has offered against the charge of being thoroughly corrupt is that he is unfathomably ignorant about the residential real estate business.

Right now I am in a unique situation and I have a concern.I want to buy a residential property.

In my case, I have residential rentals in one LLC, commercial properties in another, self storage in a third, and my real estate company operates in a fourth.

All my experience has been in the residential side.  

I'm realtor for Magnolia Realty (we're owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines) and I work with quite a bit of investors on helping them buy and sell properties!