Hi Aubrey,We have a couple of rentals in Palatka, and I'm a big fan of that market.

I am not a big fan of this unless you can earn good money on the cash you pull out; and it makes things a bit illiquid.Conversely... paying off a real estate loan feels good, but at the same time getting cash out of a house that is paid for is not necessarily hard but can be a pain.At times I suggest that people run parallel for a bit... have your cash sitting somewhere earning 5-6% and have your loan charging you 5-6% (or less or more, I know, but...).

In order to make it worth her while you will have to answer both questions to her satisfaction.To answer the first issue of not being real to her, I use a tool I call flash cash.I will bring 1-5k with me in $100 bills and when overcoming her first objection, “I don’t want anything to do with it,” I will fan out the cash like a deck of cards and say, “I know this doesn’t feel real to you, but I am actually here to give this to you.”

A lot of people aren't a fan and will not agree with this suggestion, but I actually think Dave Ramsey is a great place to start. 

I’m a big One Thing fan but can’t say I’ve read Mindset!

I'm a big fan of "On the Market" podcast.

An index fund is a better option...eventually, I'm a fan of paying them off and treating them like fixed income, but not now assuming that your financial house is in order and you like owning and managing real estate.

My advice is contact the clerk of the court for the county where the property is located and ask if they've established a system to notify registered owners when an instrument which purports to affect title to an owner's property the owner is notified.FRAUD ALERT NOTIFICATION (FAN) SYSTEM (mcohio.org)

G'Day Bob,Not many "true" turnkey companies around anymore and I've seen a trend where investors want to DIY out of state and country.Personally, I think this is an even bigger recipe for disaster than buying turnkey.bBut that's just my opinion.Back in the day you had many "turnkey" companies selling crappy properties in crappy areas for a lot more than market value.Then they pass you on to a 3rd party PM that nickel and dimes you to death.Granted, if you want to DIY I would always advise moving to the market that you want to invest in.Spending enough time with key people needed to make your venture a success.Yep, easier said than done 🤷‍♂️If you DIY from out of state, you will probably find an "investor friendly" agent that will flog you expensive property from the MLS, refer a "good" contractor and then you will most likely also get nickel and dimed by a referred "trustworthy" PM.IMO, you are safer finding a reputable turnkey provider in a market that you want to invest in and go from there.If $#%@ hit's the fan (Which it always does in real estate), at least you have everyone to blame under the same roof.A true turnkey provider will have everything an out of state investor would/want and need under the same roof.No finger pointing is allowed lolI'm bias as we offer turnkey so take my words with a grain of salt.Just happy to offer my 0.2 Aussie cents.Wishing you much success

People oohed and ahh’d about the lovely original wood so I’m generally a big fan.