Without knowing why we are building our business, we may not find the motivation to work outside of our current jobs: I work in software and she in real estate.I came to BG today, in fact, to look for help in crafting my mission statement. 

I am trying to craft a way to be able to control this property, fix it up a bit to force its appreciation, then seek a loan.Rather than go to the bank for a loan for the triplex AND the refi, is it possible (assuming a willing owner) to lease option the building and have as much of the lease payment as possible (shoot for 100%!!!)

I came into Real Estate while researching different career choices that would allow me three simple things. 1) Have a career/craft to fall back to at any given point in my life. 2) Be my own boss. 3) A means to meeting/building new relationships with other like-minded individuals.I read the majority of Real Estate for dummies, once I identified that Real Estate Investing may be the chosen field which would open doors for me.

I have been exposed to RE investing for a while learning the craft.

Put your small budget to work and learn the craft.

You can tell he is meticulous tries to cover every angle.

Buying the property can be a natural conclusion after helping the person in charge deal with a myriad of problems.Obviously, an ill-timed and poorly crafted letter ('I want to buy your house') or an syrupy, insincere condolence card will not buy you any favors.

You could craft a deal with the sellers to lease/option it to you and you could turn around and lease/option it back out.

That aside, I'm quite familiar with the SoCal market, and could see why you are leaving.I think you've got a good plan for yourself, and it sounds like you are going about things in a smart and meticulous manner.

Any person who has honed a craft and takes pride in their work seems to be very open to showing someone else their abilities or some of their knowledge.