So here it is, is it better to use a large down payment and a short term like 10 or 15 years and pay off the mortgage then cash flow the majority of the rental income (minus the expenses) ORUse a standard down payment of around 20 percent and taking out a full 30 year term and paying down the loan to then refinance and lower the payment to increase the cash flow on the property.I’m asking mostly in terms of small multi family properties (duplex and triplex) but ultimately either could be applied.I understand there are certain tax benefits when you keep a mortgage but would they outweigh the cash flow from the rent?

Might I ask how long it took you to complete the deal, what kind of work you put into it yourself in terms of construction, electric, plumbing, etc., and did you rent it or sell it?  

Well, in term of numbers, Silicon Valley seems to be on another planet, but the general principles are good.If you can make it to our free meet-up in Oakland on 3/20, that's be a great opportunity for you to network with other investors.I will definitely be there, what time are you planning to leave San Jose?

At that time, I bought a condo unit out of foreclosure in Marlborough, MA and have lived there since.As a new investor, my intention is to start with a multifamily unit in terms of a duplex to fourplex in the Metrowest area (Framingham to Worcester region).Lastly, given that I am new and eager to learn, please let me know if you know of any real estate investing meet-up and/or networking opportunities in the Metrowest/Worcester areas in MA?

I hear about (and see, I've recently jumped in full-time into REI) hard money and private lending funding rehab deals all the time, but I haven't heard anything on how to utilize them for rental properties.How does it work in terms of your investors?

I am fully licensed in both my Life and Health as well as Fire and Casualty, and I think it would be good to be able to use them.I'm wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of an insurance group that specializes in real estate investing, in the state of California.I am aware of National Real Estate Insurance Group out of Kansas City, and they are a fantastic company, but they're not interested in establishing agents in California as of now.Also, any advice in terms of which insurance works best for rehabbers and why?

Having built up a decent-sized nest egg, I have been ingesting as much real estate knowledge as possible over the past six months, with my eye on either buying a home in the NoVA-area to live in or a home in TX to rent.I've also thought about becoming a realtor here on the East Coast, but it would be a huge step back in terms of security and income for the first few years.

In reality, SEO (in terms of optimizing your pages) is only a small piece of the puzzle nowadays.

In terms of advice I have found the greatest key to success in real estate is to actually find someone experienced in your local market who can take you under their wing.

@Wes Stange, I found some tutorials on YouTube that look useful in terms of using Quickbooks.