I do buy tickets for stocking stuffers at Christmas, how ironic.Stanley, learn the basics of RE, brush up on contract law and agent's duties, you're running off into the ditch and need to get back on the right road.

Since you live right down the road, I'd like to extend an offer for coffee or drinks and we can talk about the local market.

I can really relate to your conservative buy and hold approach.Without level-headed individuals such as yourself to prepare new investors like me for the rough road ahead, it might be easy to get discouraged and give up in the face of obstacles. 

. - when you need a laugh down the road, you now have some comical grammar threads to boost your spirits :)

In 2014 I developed a strong interest in real estate investing as a means of earning passive income and paving a road to financial freedom for my family and I.

This is where the rubber meets the road and you need to Overcome That fear and actually make an offer.

Building roads.  

Thus we are setting ourselves up for a difficult financial road for up to 7 years using this option.  

I'm doing it now so I don't have to ten years plus down the road. 

The Silicon Valley DOT BOMB explosion was precisely on the issue that year-on-year there were no earnings and the venture capital investors saw no light at the end of the road and called in their ante.Personally, I evaluate the Cash Flow as my sole discriminant for purchase.