I'm a software engineer at heart and by trade, and I'm currently closing on my first investment property, a 1-level condo.

Investing in Blackrock and Sacred Heart areas will eliminate many of the headaches that @Chris Field mentioned.  

Rehab Addict:  I like Nicole, because I do feel her heart's in the right place when it comes to restoring old homes, God bless her.  

I look for guys who are what Dave Ramsey would call Teachers at Heart.  

It warms my heart to see a college grad taking action and getting an early start.

I would whole-heartedly recommend first time investors buy a condo as a training property.

at an 80% ARV if they can roll the closing costs and some interest payments into that loan it will make it even sweeter.i would only think that since this lender offers traditional financing as well, make sure to scrutinize their qualifying standards since they could be more strict w/your documentation.i only choose to talk to a few select people close to me of my REI goals so i do not have to constantly hear about their "good advice" - my mother is supportive, but since she has no idea how any of this works, she would have a heart attack if i explained i was doing a rehab on a busted property and borrowing at 15%.

A great realtor will be a valuable asset, while a less than great one likely has their own interests at heart.

So I climbed out my passenger side door and ran to the guy (still sitting in his car) that saw the whole thing happen.

This will prevent her from coming back later and making it appear as though she did it out of the kindness of her heart.