It has been a crazy 3 months but the ride has been fun and I look forward to the bright future of S&C Real Estate and Gear'd Development. 

The weather and the opportunities there over ride the taxes                                            

I'm too organized for my own good so to show you guys how much effort I'm trying to put into doing this right, here's my growing list of things to know/complete before my start date:Create a fixed cost and/or 70% rule spreadsheetMake a "property viewing" sheet for when I visit the propertyCreate a list of target zipcodesResearch different companies to get an idea of repair costs in the areaCreate a marketing campaign with a schedule of when to do whatCome up with a written strategy for finding cash buyers fastMake a list of nearby title companiesStart written market research for each zipcodeTo answer the questions you're probably thinking right now: Yes, I do this with pretty much everything and yes, I do usually get it done in timely fashion.- RHY

If there is a real estate correction, but your property is full and people are paying rent, then you can just ride out the rise in cap rates and wait for better times to sell or refinance.But if there is a recession, and 5% of the people on your property stop paying you because they have lost jobs, and renters start doubling up with friends and family rather than rent apartments because they are out of work, then you may not make your debt service.So you need to be extra careful right now that any property you buy can pass a stress test of a spike in vacancy or economic vacancy.

So I’m currently storing all of my properties into a Dropbox folder, and I’m using the old fashion pen and paper to keep up with my buyers.

I am out of state and interested in Tucs AZ as well (more in the winter to ride my bike!)

I was Industrial Electrician, worked in factory, Corrugator plant, worked  every weekend, all my overtime I saved, bought 1200 sq ft house, old, 4 kids, made it into 4 br 2 bathActually put a bathroom in big closet,Bought my first house, came home from work at 3:40 then worked on property,It’s very difficultBut , create a vision for yourself, ride the enthusiasm and wave, go with the momentumIf your in a company, use their 401k money, then borrow against it until you leaveOnly buy houses below retail, don’t be afraid of rejectionMake ridiculous offersMy first hit was 25 k.

Wouldn't be as lucrative, but would get me into the game so I can see how it's done in a proper fashion?

You are either in it for the long haul and ride the waves or you get out when the market is ripe. 

You are also taking your other family members along for the ride with you so you might want to consider them as well