I'm curious, what are some things that have come as an unexpected benefit to folks who have a few deals under their belt?

I miscalculated the renovation costs; ran into unexpected expenses (e.g., the stormwater and sewer lines were combined so I had several sewer backups and had a lot of push-back from the municipality before I could redirect stormwater into the street); Contractors didn't show up which gives subsequent contractors with a great excuse for them to not show up (i.e., the domino effect thing).In summary, don't partner with anyone, borrow money from a HML or preferably from your uncle Billy to get you through construction and then refinance it through the VA.

My first purchase was by accident. 

Industrial fires and spills are very different from residential and general commercial fires and accidents.

For instance, if a partner let's his kid drive his car and the kid gets into an accident and seriously injures someone, both partners can be sued.

I fell into this whole thing almost by accident.

I know we can't predict the future as there is always unexpected events, but we can seek to understand what the actions of today will have on the future.Lastly, what are you looking to do in your investing in the near term?

Also, a boss who asks you to do something illegal won't think twice about throwing you under the bus when there's an accident.2) The next guy I meet who goes from hanging onto a steering wheel one day to full-time real estate investor the next day will be the first one.

How many kids die from bike accidents every year?

Always plan for the unexpected, the front porch roof and rear porch removal were two items that required a lot of extra time and money.