In your opinion what set of skills would aid a newbie the best for buy and hold investing?

Maybe add one or two more pillowsSecond bedroom looks much nicer like a bed I'd want to sleep in- but I'd move it away from the window and put on the wall closest the window with a purple painting above bed.Bathroom- remove the shower curtain or pull it back-noone wants to walk into a bathroom and touch a shower curtain- who knows who showered there.If you choose to take some of the notes I have written down and then retake some pictures and have a open house on sunday-resend out the pictures- ask people to come back and relook if they saw it before.Also dropping the price a little might spark new intrest.

The closest thing I have ever gotten to subscribing to a real estate program is my membership at the Chicago Public Library.

I live in San Francisco and the closest auctions in my price range are roughly an hour away.Given my situation, would it be best for me to buy from a wholesaler?

I hope to get to know most of you through these forums and eventually network with my closest ones!

I can tell ya that the closest REI meeting to me is between 40-50 miles away.

PSF = $56.00328 Surrey Ln, Willow Park, TX is the closest sold property - very far away - and sold for $100,000 on November 9, 2011; PSF = $39.00 it is larger and newer than subject property208 Westridge Dr, Springtown, TX - next closest sale - April 5, 2011 also larger and newer sold for $76k at $47 PSFSo, the subject property has some issues.

Mark,In my opinion, one of the closest out of state markets where you can obtain true cash flow is Las vegas.

Jeff -I agree that you can do this yourself with the aid of a reliable and competent property manager and investor savvy agent in your city of choice, Atlanta, Memphis, KC, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, etc.

Closest I get now is texting.