BPers,I am neck deep in online classes, books, and networking for my new RE venture.

You cannot dive in with a burst of enthusiasm, expect to learn it all in a few months, and become ultra-successful and rich.

All this to say, I have a passion, and some acumen about the REI space, but more importantly a deep faith and belief in the wealth-building engine in the Real Estate asset class.  

There also is still some opportunity in Greater Boston, though it is definitely tougher now than it was a year ago.That said, it is really important to have deep, boots-on-the-ground knowledge, so if you are going to invest in a community which you aren't familiar I would make sure to spend a lot of time in that area.

Obviously, someone planning to retire in five years should not be diving into risky investments whether real estate or stocks.

So, I thought I would do a follow up and do a "deep dive" into my experience to date. 

I also dig deep for comps old listings anything o can find big ultimate you as the investor must underwrite your own deals - it is not the role ( in my opinion) to fill out a buyers spreadsheet.

But, if you start trying to show everybody who does shady stuff in this business you will have no time to invest.In my experience, when I come across someone shady I get away from them quickly cut my losses, take a deep breath and move on.

My biggest barrier, is raising capital to dive in and give this a real shot.  

they are never buried deep, and a hacksaw will cut it in 20 seconds, but good luck!