This is big because when I try new systems it takes time learning what the software is capable of doing and what it lacks and getting used to using it.Streamlines Processes - The more websites you have to flip through to get your work done, the more complex your system is, the more layers you add to your work process the more time, money and resources you waste to get work done.

Sounds like you are have a game plan.We are retired military and started investing in the DC area 15+ years ago.Bought, lived-in while we repaired, then rented.

I've been reading many posts on BP and now I'm ready to engage.My primary motivation for real estate investment is for retirement income.My primary goal is to buy & hold long term cash flowing rental properties.Right now I feel pretty confident because I dominated a family game of Monopoly today!

My day job is Avionics Software Engineer, so I am trying to learn how one evaluates such commercial properties and how one obtains factual information to based investment decision on such class of properties.The broker who proposed this purchase provided nice graphs with comparable curves of average vs. the property metrics, such as prices per sq.ft, vacancy, price per unit etc.However, the report is missing correlation to a specific properties the comparison is based on.Am I being unreasonable by asking comp information that is customary for SFR and low count multi?

I'd like to have skin in the game on my first new deals.

Make sure you don't by an expensive software program to do this.There are products sold based on saving mortgage payers thousands of dollars.All you have to do is what Steve said above...and it is free!

It should also provide a network that could help finding deals that put you ahead of the game that might not be realized just jumping in.

We use the same MLS software and last night I got the same thing.I have several saved searches/auto emails setup so I can know when certain things come on and off the market and last night the system deactivated every search I had because it responded with more than 400+ listings for each search all at once; which I guess is too much for the system to handle.I went back in this morning and manually checked and reset it, wasn't legit.

Its a numbers game and thats just what it takes to take deals down off MLS.2) What I would suggest is finding 2 or 3 realtors that are the listing agents for a majority of the bank owned properties in your area.

@Dwight Williams Welcome back to the game!