I understand there's no magic answer but I'm glad you all brought up some good point to look into.  

On the off chance anyone has a problem you can just show them your magic real estate card, that is really easy to get.

If you're on the Bigger Pockets site watching the count down to one million posts, and posing a bunch of stuff because you're hoping to move the post count toward the magical post ... you might be a real estate investor (or just a nerd!)

Every summer i spend a couple of evenings teaching my kids the basics of personal finance, simple stuff like living below you means, saving 10% of everything you make, the magic of compounding interest, investing etc......

Or, if that magic "two year mark" is only 6 months away you may not find a place that quickly.

Just as Rich Dad is not “per se” is not a R.E. book but a frame of mind book I like “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David SchwartzFavorite Business book?

Magic.

Thanks to real estate investing (and Bigger Pockets of course) I was able to hit that magic number where I am comfortable enough to let go of my day job as an IT Security Engineer. 

Keep in mind its not a magic bullet solution.

Elizabeth A Johnson there's nothing magical about it: find one that will lend to you at an acceptable cost.