Save up the old fashioned way so that soon, you WILL be able to close on any deal you make, so Sellers are never left in the lurch if and when you fail to find another Buyer in time. 

Hi Alicia,[OR] you could make the kitchen look even older than the home, as if the old fashioned home was upgraded but not the kitchen.Here is an old George Washington Slept Here look.Note: The windows (and) that big Wolf Range might blow your budget.Also: In older homes often the kitchen was in the basement, and served the dining room through a dumbwaiter.Maybe you could move the kitchen back down there and return the now-kitchen to it's original purpose, a sun room, sitting room, etc...Good  Luck!

Everyone has capital and if capital is all you have to offer, you are likely going to get taken for a ride.

I doubled majored in chemical engineering and biochemistry from UT Austin, I got a full ride law school scholarship and got a JD, and I practiced patent litigation law for a few years with a big white-shoe firm in NYC.

We have a blanket liabity policy that rides on top of all our individual policies. 

I am a first time investor so I know this will be a long ride but in for the long haul :) 

I'd enjoy meeting some locals working in real estate in any fashion, whether that be Trades, Accountants, Property Managers, Realtors or experienced/Newbie Investors.  

I ride my bike in my area and talk with people, and ask regularly if anyone knows a person with a house to buy.  

If you don't either send it to me, or donate it to a worthy charity, but don't let your tenants keep it, they're not doing anything to deserve that kind of paycheck.And you'll say - 'But they're good tenants'....No kidding, they're getting a free ride, everyone will be a good tenant for that kind of discount.

They’re a great, easy, real estate product to ride up appreciation but they leave a lot to be desired in the cashflow department.