So this is the path I've chosen to follow up to and including being part of my retirement.I believe that networking and gathering real life experience from doing work myself along with following other's guidance (who have been there/done that) will garner me more knowledge and success than paying "gurus" thousand of dollars for bus trips through a city and region I already know well.I am still formulating a 5 year plan (yes, they are passe now a days but I'm old school) and I feel the first steps would be to connect with other REI's, join the local REI Groups and begin growing my network.Any guidance, advice and suggestions from this point forward will be greatly appreciated!

However, my California RE mind sees the prices vs rents and am bewildered by such statements.As of now, these are my desires in properties:a house or townhome built after 2000 - I prefer after 2003 turnkey condition MOST PREFERABLE, but not necessarily a requirement at least a 3+2 neighborhood well kept and not too much crime $50-$100K, short sales are acceptable Close to transportation and/or the fwy Relatively close to downtown and the airport (10-20 min when there is no traffic)Seeking cashflow, appreciation much lesser priorityFor rent of 800, the PP cannot be exceed 60kFor each additional $100 of rent, the max PP can only increase by about $12.5k.If you see immediate issues with these desires, PM me so that we can talk about it offline.

hello everyone,I've recently made two offers on short sales, (they both happened today)as they looked like good deals when i quickly ran the numbers, so i made offers on both as things are going crazy fast here in vegas and i thought it was best to submit an offer then have the option of turning down the deal if it wasn't a good one.after using the rental calculator one cash flows for 90 and the other for 60. and this is without me allowing for cap x on either, the reason for this is that ones a town home and the other is a condo, both with good hoa's, i did allow 5% for repairs which i think is a lot as the condo has just been totally refurbished and the TH was in good condition and I've allowed 1500 for touch ups, so it'll also be like new after I'm finished. my thinking was that this 5% would cover both repairs and cap x as there shouldn't be much in the way of either. is this a terrible idea for me to allow so little for both.i would be waking in with 25k of equity on the TH and thats without my 20% down payment. and with the condo id be getting around 13k.here are the rental calculator results for both-any help would be greatly appreciated!

The ones that go the farthest in life think totally differently about money.  

I've been living here pretty much my whole life, so I'm familiar with the area. 

I tried to include all the pertinent information below:Rental Income: $13,200Rent: Currently has a tenant on one side at $550 per month without a lease – I’ve made it a condition of the sale that the tenant has either signed a new lease with my property management company or delivers that side vacant; other side is not rented out due to required rent ready repairs; rental comps in the area show between $550-600 (I’m being conservative and assuming $550).Expenses:Vacancy: 10% ($1,320)Property Management: 10% of gross rents ($1,188)Property Taxes: $2,065 ($905 for City of Memphis, $1,160 for Shelby County)Property Insurance: $450 per year Repairs and Maintenance Assumption: 2% of Property Value per year ($980 per year)Utilities: separately metered; all paid by tenant except for lawn mowing at $25 once a month for $300Advertising: 6% (roughly ½ of first month’s rent) $792 per yearDebt Service: Based on $49k purchase + repair price, 20% ($9.8k) down, 5% 30 year fixed is $2,525 per yearLocation:This is probably where most of my concern is coming from: Western edge of Hickory Hill, Memphis, 38115; major cross streets: just SW of Clarke Rd and Winchester RdAcquisition:Purchase Price: $42k, seller to pay closing costsRepairs: $7.5kTotal Acquisition Cost: $49.5kARV: Large range of comps in the area, best guess is $60kFinancial Metrics:Net Operating Income: $6,105Cap Rate: 12.33%Cash Flow: $3,580 per year, $298.33 per month, $149.17 per unit per monthCash-on-Cash Return: 36.5%Do you think it's a good deal?

It's impossible to tell from the photos what condition the home's mechanical systems are in or the condition of the roof.

I live a somewhat boring life and have held the same job for the last 17 years.

I love what's happening in Lawrenceville with lots of new life being breathed back into older homes etc.

Life is not a race and there are never any true winners so take it one step at a time.