Pray tell, is now the right time to buy because a deal came along, or because there are solid reasons for eschewing your former belief about 2014 not being a good year to buy?

It is my belief that the rehabbing approach is the quickest route without as many challanges.

My favorite is the Maximum Allowable Offer, which goes downright religious by claiming the number 7 is always valid.

My belief is that realistic goals, good preparation and careful research on the front end lead to much better outcomes over time.My main comment is on monthly cash flow.

Reinforces my belief about being ULTRA conservative in my scope of work/rehab estimates.

Contrary to popular belief, being labeled a "dealer" doesn't mean that all your properties are subject to ordinary income; likewise, not being labeled a dealer doesn't mean that all of your properties are subject to capital gains.Each property will need to stand on its own merits, and the determination of whether a particular property should be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains will be made based on the intent of the transaction, not a "dealer" label applied to a business or individual.That said, if you are labeled a "dealer," you may find that you have a higher bar set for declaring one of your properties to be an investment as opposed to inventory.

At the same time, I agree with you Mark Ferguson - I think a lot of people buy into the belief that simply buying it will make them successful, but they totally overlook the actual "work" aspect of it.

Recently over the last month or so been listening to the bp podcast religiously, reading up on the beginners guide/blog/forums, and scouring the internet for valuable information.

You would only have to drive to Trona, or many places on the eastern side of the Sierras, to see the fallacy of that belief.

For example, the non-religious and non-believers.