http://shop.illinoisrealtor.org/catalog/pre-license/broker-option-1-75-hour-pre-license-topics-home-studyThis is what I was leaning towards and then combining that with the 15 hour education that is often offered in a Saturday/Sunday format. 

I refinanced it Jan of this year and combined a loan I took out to completely fix it up.

This is a combination of the climate, condition of the property, and the quality of the property manager. • Stable or growing job market - Rental property profitability is dependent on a stable job market.

We should have our own fully-functioning portal and robust marketing campaigns ready in the next 1-2 weeks.  

A 3 family is an income property though, the value is a function of what an investor is looking to get out of it.

Usually it seems folks are attracted to second positions as a function of lower amounts of money to invest.  

A foreclosure could have been caused by the economic downturn, in combination with sub-prime lending ... there was a lot that went on that a lot of people were affected by. 

In total, I would like to place several hundred thousand and combine that with money I raise from others increasing my returns.

I think a passion for the business, combined with hard work and surrounding yourself with the right team and mentors are the key ingredients.With respect to real estate crowdfunding, you should search the discussions and forums - there is a wealth of information from folks much better informed than I.        

Our combined income is mediocre to say the least (85k/year, soon to be 95 - 100k) and have one car payment (300/m) and some cc debt (10k).We felt that we had a a unique situation on our hands because of the equity we have on our home, so we decided to do some researching in Real Estate investing and came to the conclusion of doing a HELOC and investing in SFH in Lancaster or Palmdale, CA.Chase, our lender only approved us for 40k with the condition to pay off our debt and car loan which only leaves us with around 6k.We are thinking about Lancaster and Palmdale because there are some properties that will fits our budget and fall within the 1 - 2% rule.Any advice?