In addition, don't get too caught up in the minutia of trying to figure out what message to send to code violations versus absentee owners.

Once you get past about four properties, they all start to run together; it's hard to remember particulars about each one, your mind and body get tired doing all that driving around, and it's just difficult to do it from a logistic standpoint.I always tell clients to view no more than four properties in a day, then go home and think about them, weigh pros and cons, and then we'll go from there if they decide against them all.A great agent will be able to listen to your needs, wants, and desires and handpick the best from what's available, versus sending you everything that's out there unless that's what you asked for.My advice would be to look at four in your preferred area, get copies of the full client report from the MLS, and then go home and run numbers on those to see what you come up with.

I have a question about the option versus lease purchase.I understand it would release option that I will set up a time frame and at the end of the timeframe I have the option of exercising the purchase of the property.

If investing out of state larger complexes make more sense from a control, numbers, and scale perspective.Where you buy depends on your goal of cash flow versus future appreciation and how much time you have allotted to investing.

Yes if the agents do not know good areas of town versus bad areas they are not the agent for you.

But, I must say, I've found way more information out there that talks about using the "drip" method you guys mentioned with the people you know, versus trying to pitch them.

You would do better to drop rent 50 a month and get flooded with apps from quality tenants that pay and do not do damage. 50 dollars less in rent yearly is 600 lost versus 8,000 in damage and 2 months rent lost rent from your tenant.

Hello BP,I've been researching what it takes to get a Realtor's license but would any of you advise getting a license versus finding an agent?

Due to interested people who want to help, things like the audited financial statements can be donated or heavily discounted which would impact the bottom line numbers to get started.It would also require a lot more communication about the project, the repairs and upgrades needed and how things work for everyone in the long run than if I put the same info out here - most of the little guys who would fund that may have bought their own house before but that would be the limit of their real estate experience for the most part.I think the individual investors would be looking at smaller return in exchange for their cash along with the idea of doing something worthwhile - $2,000 invested for a cause they believe in @ 3-4% versus a CD at the bank on a number of levels.

@Gary HurstWhile we don't live out of the country we do live in California versus our rentals on the east coast.