Knowing I have to put forth some leg work will help me lay out a game plan and get going.

I have learned a lot from reading a lot of the BP books and listening to the podcasts but am fairly green in actually the leg work as until recently it wasn't really an option.

That's a big leg up in marketing.For example, I had my own brokerage for a while. 

Mine were bought over the last 6 years and averaged about 1.1-1.7% at the time of purchase (2%-2.5% in nominal and not real dollar terms now).Today, you can only reach 1% in Orlando/Orange Co. if you're buying in a not-so-great neighborhood or are in the 45-60 min radius to Orlando proper such as Polk or Volusia. 

Boarded up windows with the orange stickers are also a good sign.

Hi guys, so I love in Orange County CA where the market is just outrageously high right now.

If you try to pick a degree that gives you the "best leg up" (so to say) just so you can have an bigger advantage in REI eventually you will surely hate school and waste tens of thousands of dollars.

You may not be able to touch his deposit unless he damages something or stops paying but if he agrees for you to keep a certain dollar amount, he won't have a leg to stand on.

Thanks Derek for the advice that's really helpful, and yes as soon as she told me I shared my condolences and did ask a little bit about the situation but I didn't want to dig down too much to the point where it may be too personal for her to talk about to a stranger.I definitely like the part of continuously following up with her and building a relationship, that makes sense and once she is ready to sell then I think I will have a leg up on others.So my next step is to find out the ARV of the property through comps and like you said try to figure out how much repair cost it needs then make an offer.

Hello BP Community!I am a long time lurker of the BP forums, and huge fan of the podcasts and blogs. So far, I have only dabbled in real estate over the years. I have owned a few rental properties (mostly primary resi...