I'm trying to follow a loose criteria of: 1 only buying things that I would be personally willing to live in, 2. in areas that I'd be willing to live in, 3. dont need too much money to have  a nice refresh so they look more up to date 4. are close to my home so I can keep an eye on them, and maintain them as needed. 5.

@William Johnson I probably had heard of the concept before, but Troy Treleaven is the guy who really opened my eyes to the use of options.

A few years back my father had some kid throw a solid block of ice at him walking out of Store 24, totally unprovoked and he ended up almost losing his eye. 

You want to have your eye on them as much as you can.

I highly recommend Sterling Williams and Tim Macy to be your eyes and ears in the SA market.

Very informative and eye-opening stuff!

I am searching zillow pretty regularly to keep an eye on the market but most of deals are coming in under 5% cap.

In doing so the resulting education has opened my eyes to things that seem like hidden secrets of the wealthy ("Tax Strategies for the Savvy Investor" is the best).  

American Eagle Credit Union wont even give a company a line of credit unless it has existed for a year. 

Keep your eye on RESimpli.