There are too many people selling you on how easy, passive, and lucrative real estate investing is.I always tell people the first year or two will be bumpy.

And even if I do not get into the renting business I can make some profit if I decide to sell the property at some point.

So if you see a foreclosure, it's not a typical thing, and the people involved are not typical. 

A mentor ship program is how most people do it.

Real Estate is a belly to belly business.

There is a 22 unit Boutique hotel owned by a couple in a town of about 2500 people. 

@Dexter Florendo Kalai AspacioBuy in the right location where people want to live and rents will continually increase.

did you know that banks have their own font and font size (so its like creating your own currency, if you do it and use the right people you will know). 

This just covers the basics: how many people, do they have pets, what is their timeline for moving?

For a while, a truly irresponsible group of new investors were joining the forums, thinking they should pursue extremely dangerous strategies that put themselves and the people they were buying from at risk.