@Ned Carey Thanks, I'll take heed to your suggestion on that.

To clarify, I'm not saying I'll be spewing hateful rhetoric about BP.

I usually burn through them at 2x speed, but I'll back up and slow them down for something that sounds particularly enlightening.

@Ryan BlakeOk I think I'll do it the old fashion way, wait until the lease is over and then offer the tenants first dibs on buying.

If you have specific questions about property management, I'll be happy to help!

Hey James, There have been a few postings about Strawberry Mansion lately but I'll relay what I've said before.

I'll see if I can round up some local recommendations for a mortgage broker and see what they have to say.Its not as rural around here as it used to be - its all subdivisions and commercial development everywhere ... though the traffic still doesn't hold a candle to the traffic in DC :)Thanks,Amy

I don't need the cash flow now, and whether I'll need it then isn't the point...the goal is to have this safety net that I know that no matter what happens to me that income will be there.The "lend hard money" route might not be the best route for you if it takes up a significant portion of your liquidity. 

After a roller-coaster ride for the past 2 months, it appears that I'll finally be closing on my first commercial property on October 1st.Two of the three retail/office tenants in the building have leases expiring on October 31st.

Instead of looking for something to assist in real estate investing concentrate on what you are interest it and prepared to make a career of.