One of my great long-term real estate bets counts on them cleaning up the inner-city beaches. ;)

Also if they are really old wood frame yea they are a pain to deal with not to mention poorly designed most can be unlocked from the outside with a thin putty scraper so i would never live in a house like that because i like to open and close my windows withough having to remember to put a pipe or wood block back as a secondary window lock

Basically that was the only lock for the apartment door and it broke due to old age and poor quality so it was no one's fault.

I was born poor, I remember when food stamps were little coupons, I have eaten government cheese. 

A small addition costs more per square foot than a large addition.Your best bet would be to find a couple projects in the neighborhood you want to do it in and hunt down the people that did them and see what it cost them and then back into the cost per square foot.

After a while I became very dissatisfied with the knowledge that I'd lead a relatively unexciting life, only living off half my pay, only to be rich once I already have one foot into the grave.This was about the time that I read the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book and it really changed the way I looked at investing.

Finding private money will probably be your best bet. 

Check the laws and bet on the opportunity.

If things go well, could be harmless, but if things go poorly one of you will get the short end of the deal (hint, it'll be you).Are you willing to sacrifice profit and ROI for family?

That's why I want to consider staying here For the start of my investing.I just didn't know if renting or selling was my best bet.