However there is one item that I weigh heavily while I consider what to buy in the Charleston area regardless of the property type and that is is it in flood zone X and if not, how close is it to the border of X and AE?

I'd like to get more involved in local REIA.My goal is to invest heavily in education (time, networking, volunteering over the next year or so...first and foremost I'd like to add value..not necessarily just take information without contributing)

Raise your Anntenas high and heavily use your common sense.

With gross rents well over $2k.Couple that with creative financing, joint ventures or good leverage - it's hard to beat.I drank the Rich Dad Kool Aid several years ago & wish I had acted sooner - as most people do.

Regarding the question of appreciation: I really believe appreciation has to be heavily discounted.

I've been wondering about the 203k myself and the feedback that I've been receiving is that it's a lot of extra work (paperwork and actual coordination of extra inspections, apprasials, ect).I wanted to look into HUD homes, but I wasn't sure what the best resource for them is...on the HUD website there aren't any homes listed in my area, which I find hard to believe since I'm in heavily populated Northern NJ!

It challenges us to take time away from the cash-on-cash return analysis in order to make a higher level, introspective analysis of the true motivating factors for our actions and behavior.I believe that people's motivations are evolving, and most heavily influenced by their individual experiences and their current stage of life.In my circumstances, I invest to secure a comfortable standard of living in my old age, and to get to the point where I can focus on helping other people.Being a student and fan of baseball history, I want to quote the epitaph of one of my heroes, Jackie Robinson."

Currently I am involved in all aspects but I am still heavily involved in the nitty gritty of all the projects.

Up until this point I have been heavily involved  with all aspects of the business, from finding the houses, working on the houses, hiring subs, and selling the houses.  

I think with the big lakes and lake front homes and all that goes on you will do very well there.I did one flip there a few years back that was marginal just because I had a marginal guy doing it.. try to find Stewart Fox on BP  his family is from there and they are very experienced in the business and heavily invested in the area for years.Best of luck and GREAT choice I fly through Houston and for the life of me I can't figure out how anyone could live there year round  LOL  but that me..