Hello - I have been studying small apartments (4-10 units) for sale in my area of interest, suburbs of Charlotte.  

Social aspects of RE are not limited to low income tenants, far from it.Look too, for the National Association of Housing Officials and Redevelopment (NAHRO).Here are some organizations or other folks that deal in RE within their realm.Office of AgingAssisted LivingAdvocate Organizations for the blind, handicap, children, etc.City P&Z OfficesDept. of Defense, especially the Corps Of EngineersDept. of EducationDept. of Health and Human ServicesEconomic Development identifies blighted areas and funds redevelopment.HUD/USDA have social and economic skills educationHOA organizationsLook to your local United Way, they are often the gatekeepers for funding going to community service organizations and they will know non-profit housing entities that serve an area.Developers base growth from social impact studies, demographics are the social and economic movement of populations.  

In the study presented above by the Federal Reserve, home equity was included.

I would also agree with JoshuaEach state has their own license requirementsFor Example,,I was presented with several options for Wisconsin Real Estate License requirementsOption 1 – local real estate school - about $400 not including test cost( duration - 3 month process before being eligible for exam )Option 2 - home dvds – about $325 [ not including test cost ]( new Wisconsin law 72 hrs course work for Real Estate License ) Option 3 – home study internet base – about $325 [ not including test cost ]( new Wisc law 72 hours course work for Real Estate Lic )Option 4 – internet on demand meaning someone going over materials via your personal computer$325 estimate [ not including test cost ]( new WI law 72 hrs course work for real Estate License )prices and requirements vary state to stateI’m back to studying Good luck

Originally posted by Dan O'connor: Feel free to share with us what you've already studied/taken action on to work towards your multi-unit goals.

One of the things you also need to study is your "exit strategy".

I used to study okinawan karate (shorin ryu) and a little bit of kenpo but have been getting into the krav maga recently (israeli martial arts).

Basically it just comes down to a lot of number crunching and assumptions that are obviously the most accurate with a lot of thought and study put into the options.As far as there being a lot of rules, I agree, but if you put your mind to it and with resources like BP they are not that hard to learn. 

Most buyers have studied hundreds of properties online and seen many in person.

while was in grad school learned renting out spare room(s) to other students was the only option, cuz renting to general public generally brought lots of noise, partying, crying kids, family visiting for weeks months on end, parking crowding, etc.whereas college/grad kids usually come with a guarantee from parent(s) or even scholarship stipend plus do have to study alot depending on the major. even if ur not living in the building generally students studying for exams is great energy whereas couples fighting with babies in the background is the opposite and affected my studies and my sleep!