Short sales can easily take longer than 5 months to close.4) Has anyone noticed any common pitfalls of this strategy?

So, if you want to invest in the market the TSP is a great way to do so and offers some great benefits to tap into your money for things like real estate easily.  

But if he has an easily solvable credit problem (like his credit card balance is over 30% of the line), it might only take a week or so to get it ironed out.

Worrying about the difference in a nominal amount of money doesn't make sense, you can easily blow that $1,000 on a night on the town with your wife.For me the first thing I am looking for when I buy a property is "How many people are going to see my sign on this building"

With your combined income and the debt you listed, you should easily qualify for a loan.    

I think there's lots of variables and that I care more about where yields are going to be in 5 years than where they've been the past 5 years (for buy and hold).But, anything you put together that helped me compare different areas more easily than looking at raw census and raw area government data would be interesting.

Banks are able to give out commercial loans more easily then personal mortgages.

I was always fascinated by seeing something being made possible from just an idea on paper.I am hoping this website will provide me with a wealth of invaluable information and advice as I work to be a real estate investor.My very first project (which I'm still in the planning stages of) is my first home which I will use as my springboard/dive in to real estate investing and construction: I am hoping to buy a house in its foreclosure/short sale stage or a fairly run down property and subsequently "remodel" (but really rebuild) from ground up.My budget is tight and could be bordering unrealistic for the type of house I want and the neighborhood I'm looking at, but I don't give up too easily and believe that if I ask enough people enough questions, I can just about make it :)Anyway, that's me!

@Megan Wilson If your question was easily answered, lawmen would be out of business.

Hi,People come to your place or on call they want everything without spending any money .They don't want to listen what you are telling them they want what you can do for them like any discounts or special offers or something which saves their money while purchasing home.so take your call like your best and put all the efforts think you are the best and you can do that easily in no time.