I first got interested in the industry with my current job.

Integrity is based in our beliefs as to how we conduct ourselves and in keeping our opinions formed as to what we see as ethical.Many never learn ethical standards expected in society much less in business or in any industry.

Well, the ones first to mind are regulators of any industry, those in the industry and usually educators, some professor at Harvard or Yale.

However, real estate is one of the few industries where one can make a decent living without much education [banking is the other].Depending on what you want in life, obtaining a college degree might be feasible.

In my industry it has always been encouraged to gain addition accreditation (I currently hold an ARM certification).Recently I have been considering obtaining my CPM (Certified Property Manager) and wanted to see if anyone has had experience with obtaining this certification and if there's benefit in having it as a real estate investor?

Way too many folks look at others in the industry as their competition and they really aren't.

Web based and with smart phone apps one can enter expenses anywhere. 

My wife has been in the mortgage industry for almost 15 years and she can't predict what the guidelines will be tomorrow!

For the past month I have been educating my self on the industry and I want to begin taking action in the new year.

I understand that unemployment is a major one and understanding what industry employees the workforce in your target area bur what are the metrics used during your "litmus test" of an area prior to going to work on getting it under contract?