Its just the analyzing the initial deal to being able to predict the outcome you want in your favor, which goes with any investment. 

That's a good plan, the key to it is having a great marketing funnel.However, if I could do it over again, I'd buy a duplex, triplex or fourplex as my initial purchase, using a 203b FHA loan to fix up the units.

The upside to that way is they have zero debt but also a pension usually, which will be much harder to have for our generation

I can figure out the Initial Equity alright...ARV - PurchsePrice + Down Payment. 

I have not contacted the listing agent yet, this was just an initial run through so I can sound a little like I know what I'm talking about before I reach out to them.

If you feel that the overall mix of security and income production of a rental property will outperform what your IRA is generating today in conventional assets, then it is a good move. 

Even the battery operated thermostats I have generate calls when the batteries go bad.

Hello BP community, I was initially getting my degree in the medical field but I hit a bump in the road and decided to switch lanes and invest all of my time into real estate.

I get an email notification when they have initiated the payment and money shows pending a few hours later.

I studied note investing a few years back and noticed there are other avenues such as annuities and other types of paper that generate a form of cash flow.