Ignore the possible problems for the target market for your real estate investments may be a fatal mistake.From an article released today, August 16, 2013:Real weekly earnings fell a half percent in July alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as hourly wages dropped 0.2 percent and the average workweek shrank by 0.3 percent.

These reports are helpful for noting trends and statistics that you can use for your business plan and property package.

I am looking for additional opportunities, either as the financial partner or an independent rehab, and to learn more as I go.

i dont know the full statistic but from talking with my realtor friends they haven't seen as many cash buyers as there currently has been.

If you are wholesaling work those leads fully independent of anything you are doing as an agent, other than disclosing that you are licensed.Grey areas I can see are if you get a lot of prospects that won't work as wholesales but would be possible retail listings.

It also gets an independent third party involved reducing the cozyness and allows the you to defer to a "higher authority", the old "higher authority" negotiating angle."

I am a new investor to the real estate business and to this site and I wanted to know if someone could tell me how many multi-units I would need to purchase and rent out to be able to be financially independent and not have to hold a full time job doing something I don't like to do.

There are still deals, but they are far between.While the 50% is more of a quick guide to help you size up a property for further analysis, statistically it holds over the long term {some folks use a variant of 60% for Multi-family properties where the landlord carries the utilities}, which is why it makes a good first filter.

Get a independent agent.

I would love to be financially independent and work for just myself someday, and I see real estate as one potential investment vehicle to help me achieve this goal.I currently rent the property where I live in Durango, and between my girlfriend and I, we pay $950 per month in rent....for a 1 bedroom condo...Yikes!