I'm as green as they come as it relates to real estate investing, but I'm am absolute expert at starting and running businesses into the ground.However, over the years, I've trained into my muscle memory a set of skills that make it VERY difficult for me to continue to blow wads of cash on any "idea."  

., screening tenants is a skill you definitely need to develop. 

There are a lot of distressed properties, and a huge rental shortage.

Through that family member's life they have had some knowledge skills, and abilities, to accumulate a net worth which allows them to participate in this investment, and those may transfer, albeit tangentially, to REI. 

However, there are a LOT of plans for revitalization and rejuvenation in progress ore recently created (creating jobs, bringing businesses to the area, creating programs with the local colleges to increase education rates and increase the pool of qualified and skilled employees - in the area of nursing, etc, for which there is currently a shortage in this location.). 

Hopefully they will work out in our favor, because that will end up truly helping the housing shortage and give us more options for infill and development. 

Her cut in skills were on point, very impressed.

Zillow and other Internet searches show there is a huge shortage of Rentals available in that Market with only 3 available rentals currently listed.

Would be a great skill to pick up for sure!

For us, the town basically said not going to happen because shortage of parking....this is north jersey by the way.