But don't get too excited, because deductions of normal expenses like cell phone and home office deductions are hard to justify with only one property. 

-Willing to give me their cell phone number.

Cash buyers sniff around 24hrs a day just like sharks searching for blood.

If you have space, you rent out office space for meeting, have mailbox services, rent land to cell towers, etc.. if you have right of ways or easements that you can't build on, you can place portable units or have parking for boats/RV/vehicles.

I have been searching for my first property day in and day out for about two months now, and with the market being incredibly competitive where I live, I managed to get approved for a perfect flip house by the blood bath we call Fannie Mae!

Dale - Start reading the forums . . . start with the Starting Out and General Real Estate Investing forums and then figure out what area of real estate investing gets your blood flowing, and what works best for your family and its finances.

I guess you should also be warned that once you get that first deal done, it seems to get in your blood and you can't wait to find the next one, what starts out as a little investment becomes a fixation of sort...At least it did for me.

We put a lot of blood sweat and beers... oops I mean tears into our last two houses and got emotionally attached to both of them.

Thomas S.Sorry for such a late response to your post, I work in the Oil Field and have very spoty cell service. 

Think cell phone and cable.