Also I would love to connect with hosts and investors in the Austin, TX area :) 1.

Cash flowing at 5% down was possible about 3 years ago—but that ship may have since sailed.Now, you’re left with two options: you can either pony up more cash per deal, or you can potentially look out of state for markets with more favorable rent-to-price ratios.Or…you can wait for rates to decline, but I don’t know how much a 100 or 150 basis point rate cut in the next year will really move the needle.That said, some firms (usually new construction companies, turnkey providers, etc.) will enter into forward commitments with lenders at institutional rates and then pass cost interest rate savings onto end buyers to entice them to purchase a property.

And a lot of reasons why a whole host of other cryptocurrencies are good.

Just wanted to add the MidAtlantic Summit convention @Dave Van Horn and his team hosted last year was top notch with the next one planned for October 2019. 

Since my tax guy is of no use, I reached out to a friend who works for a different tax group/CPA and this new firm was kind enough to look into my predicament.

After I learnt what I had to by making mistakes, hosting open houses, and closing a few deals - I switched to another brokerage that dealt mainly with offmarket properties and investors (both residential and commercial). 

The one you can scale.I know successful business owners in the fitness industry, tanning salons, real estate, window coverings, maintenance, billboard, ATMs, etc.Generally, I would be skeptical of jumping into a business based on YouTube videos hosted by and featuring people that are likely primarily trying to sell you their respective courses.Small businesses can indeed be great investments, but they are hard.  

I would suggest trying someone local, may hosts have find their last resort at a local insurance company.

One of the most important skills you didn't mention is networking, which you are obviously doing well at too.I'd recommend connecting 1:1 (zoom, coffee. lunch, etc.) with a couple from the BP Chicago community or better yet check out some of the local meetups: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...Make friends with the meetup hosts...they will often know whos who and can help you make the right connections.Regarding your license, I think it's a great idea if you have the time and are going at it with the right intentions. 

To thrive in real estate investing, you must maintain a firm grip on your finances.