There is nothing profound in real estate, just be careful, don't do anything that might constitute gambling or high risk and you'll be fine.

I'm thrilled to already be connecting with and getting information from such good sources.  

I want to make an investment not a gamble.

It's less of a gamble than just buying a parcel and hoping someone will want it one day.Clint

Brandon always mentions that appreciation is like gambling and a speculation.

There would definitely be a knowledge gap in switching/adding something new to your portfolio, and bigger gambles could mean bigger losses in the event of a mistake while learning. 

You see what I meanI like the most protection, and not thrilled with the idea of yet another cook in the pot.  

Those both seem rather big gambles as opposed to hedges... but hey, each unto their own. 

I havent done a thrill researh but the ARP value in this area seems to be around $40k to $50K. 3.)

Even when young and could not really afford it, I would not hesitate to buy a new car, knowing full well that financially it was a bad deal.Taking a risk on a RE investment was just too much of a gamble - why, because it was different, it was not the norm, that made it scary.Even when I had plenty of capital to back me up, it was still difficult to make the first buy.I still suffer from analysis paralysis when looking at properties - that's probably due to some fear still existing.I'm still a relative newbie in the REI world, but every day it's becoming a little less scary.