Then, finish with Long Distance Real Estate Investing which again narrows down your chosen field (rental properties) and looks at how to go about building teams and growing your portfolio from a distance.How did you choose these three books in particular?

See what people on BP are saying about your chosen area and maybe pick a couple of cities to do heavy research on. 

It doesn't matter if you actually want to buy them, it's just practice.Start analyzing actual deals in the markets you have chosen.

@Josh CalcanisI've been poring through the zoning guide PDF on the City of Orlando site, and I can actually shed some light on those mother in law suites regarding zoning.I'll paste the relevant info from the PDF below, but from the looks of it, it is OK to get those small out dwelling type buildings permitted as long as you follow a couple guidelines regarding their size, the lot size, etc.22.

When a chosen investment is financially marginal or the business premise is weak, or when a decision maker has limited experience (or limited competence) and builds faulty financial projections, it's time to cut losses.

Usually, you submit a letter of intent (LOI) and if chosen by the seller, you start negotiating for the sale agreement.

The rarer bird on this forum is the investor who has chosen to be on the finance side, almost exclusively.

If @Jason Dalka can find a way make it happen, MIL's finances will be in a good position.In terms of the quality of care, we agree on the need for due diligence of the chosen provider - be it a new doctor, elder care facility, pharmacy, or other, and regardless of whether or not they accept Medicaid.  

I've chosen to fund my first REI with cash from my self-directed IRA.  

Those who have had experience, were there signs at the beginning that you may not have chosen a good tenant, or is it a complete gamble and you just don't know what you're going to get.