Otherwise you fall victim to the shiny object syndrome. 

If they show a price of say 165k on that email is that THE set price or can I offer 150k and have a chance of getting it?

Here are some good places to start: http://www.biggerpockets.com/meet- find and connect with other BP members that are in your area.http://www.biggerpockets.com/alerts - Set up keyword alerts to be notified of the topics that interest you.And, of course thehttp://www.biggerpockets.com/forums - ask any question about real estate!

Pick a set of them, the California set or the Texas set, and do that set first.

I used to have to set aside 45-60, each deal, just to explain WTF the old disclosures actually meant. 

Hey everyone, I have been doing commercial property management privately for over five years now and I'm sure most of you will agree that finding and keeping a solid tenant is the biggest challenge, yet, is the most important objective on your list at all times.I have sandwich signs posted near the main roads at all of my properties, and recently created banners to hang on windows.

Glad I had reserve funds set aside.  

Most underwriters and lenders have their own set of rules but generally they all agree with each other.

Welcome to bp @Akiewole WilliamsLots of those homes are most likely in lower income areas The other side of that is there are lots of landlords in those areas that make great returns It's up to us as investors to decide how much risk we are willing to take on Make sure you set up your keyword alerts to Roanoke Also the bp meetup is this Wednesday evening at 645 Grandin colab on grandin road In Roanoke Look forward to meeting you thereGood lucj

As far as reserves, I've got a pretty good cash cushion built up, plus a line of credit in case of a dire emergency.While I haven't exactly budgeted for CapEx, my initial plan was to set all of the cash flow aside in a separate checking account to build up toward replacing the roof, separating the electric and hot water, etc.