I live in a SoCal beach town now, but love the mountains, lakes, etc. as well.Relatively convenient access to a major airport would be valuable to meI hope this topic isn't too far removed from the real estate discussions most commonly posted to the forums, but I thought many in the Bigger Pockets community would have done a similar analysis in their personal lives and might point me in some interesting directions. 

You provide the valuable service of delivering to them this property that they can profit from.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bp The second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

The distinction here is that Paul and Michael are both tax professionals and can guide clients through these grey areas. 

Learning from other's mistake shortens your time to success so take my mistakes as guides and do better than I did.

I helped with every flip, kept track of financials for them and even went 50/50 on my first "flip" (although it wound up being a tear down, subdivided and then sold to a builder.)I wanted to follow in their footsteps but was guided to go to University, get a degree and then snag a 9-5 corporate job.

Please click on the links, give them a read, and share your thoughts in the comments.First is a post that I feel will help not get overwhelmed with the amount of info that is here on BP:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52761-the-simple-guide-to-getting-started-on-bpThe second is a post that will help get you focused with your real estate investing goals:https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/5868/52743-im-new-to-bp-any-advice-would-be-appriciatedThe last one is a post that will help you choose an “investor friendly” real estate agent.

those renters may be wasting your valuable  time with the prospect of buying it .

The knowledge that you get from working with someone experienced is valuable and can take years off of the learning curve.

And, I know I'm biased here but I feel that realtors do provide a very valuable service beyond just the sales price they get you.