But it is what it is and a late start is better than no start in my opinion.

A mutual fund or investments has maintenance and up keep costs as well but what truly is more risky and a better ROI .

I am a business owner from Grand Rapids, MI with ~100 employees, and I have read several Robert Kiyossaki books, (increase your financial IQ, Cash flow Quadrant, Loopholes of Real estate and a couple more)  I am just recently diving in head first on real estate investing.  

hello to all. just a quick description of myself. i am a real estate investor working in the western New York area. i have been doing this in this area for 12 years now, with many successes. i am a licensed home inspector, work as a handyman for a local property management company, and currently own several investment houses. i can safely say that i know the area quite well. given my home inspectors experience, i feel very confident in my ability to judge the condition of a house and evaluate the rehab to bring it back to a marketable condition. having a degree in accounting, i feel quite confident in my ability to manage the numbers part of the transaction as well. having recently passed a course in furnace installation and repair, i feel i can safely replace appliances such as the furnace if need be and a water heater if need be, saving large sums of money in the rehab. he is what i am looking for. i am looking for a HML to fund my latest find. a 4 bedroom, one bath house with two stall garage in a family neighborhood that i currently own 2 houses in and have purchased more in the same neighborhood in the passed. 

There's a lot of great info and a community eager to help.

Hello @Andrea Ray,Welcome to Bigger Pockets and a website of rich Real Estate information.

Schooling in my town is amazing, so there is no issue with that.Transportation to NYC is literally 2 minutes on every corner to the bus, so that isn't an issue.Additionally, I was told that I should stay away from homes with oil tanks for heating because if the oil tank was to leak, the soil would be contaminated and it would cause a big headache and a big whole in my wallet.

Mobile home park 50 pads... is there a difference between a residential home and a large deal like this contract wise?

While it may seem unconventional, the difference here is the person receiving the 1099-MISC income is the spouse of the business owner and a a solo 401k plans is for business owners and their spouses.

But, even though I own another home besides this one, make a mid-six figure income and have excellent job security (cybersecurity), and a DTI ratio of 13% - I can't qualify because my FICO score (612) is too low.