@Ryan Jackson, I'm capped out at E-6 due to manning, and losing my airframe soon (new jet coming eliminates the Flight Engineer position), so big changes are coming for me regardless of whether I want them.I'm coming to the conclusion that nothing will change until I pick the right 6 numbers on a Lotto ticket, or I pack up and move.Again, appreciate the welcome.  

Hi Melissa,If you spend some time searching through the site you'll find lots of ideas on how to get started from House Hacking to partnering up with someone that perhaps has the money but not the time to find the deals or, say, coordinating flips.Brandon Turner has an e-book that I believe focuses exactly on this topic "how to invest with no money" or something similar.

You can request copies of utility bills and the owner's schedule E from their tax return to verify expenses.

Hey guys,So to the sleuths here - I smell a rat but I can't figure out where it is - I have "stumbled" across a 2-park package deal - a "pocket listing" e-mailed to me be a broker I have not done business with, but who lists (and claims to sell) a lot of parks in the mid-west.Details: 200 pads total, paved roads, 95% occupied at both parks, city water/sewer, tenants pay all utilities including trash, and ZERO park owned homes in the two parks (no, not even any notes - so claims the broker anyway).Rents are extremely low ($160 at the suburban park and $135 at the more rural one) and have been raised only once in the 10 years the seller has owned the parks (6 months ago).Location: Park one has over 100 pads in a city of about 30,000 people 40 minutes from a metro of almost 1 million, unemployment rate very low, population growing, located directly next to many good businesses.

I'm an extreme newbie at this, so take my words with a grain of salt and give them less weight than some of the more seasoned investors. 

If you're living there as a primary residence, you won't be able to deduct repairs made during the period you're living there as a Schedule E - it's not a rental property then.

The fear of success is something mentally that you have to battle, the thought of greatness or building a legacy or that your name will hold some heavy weight is motivation I seek. 

Welcome to BP @Erik E..

Buying at a level where an E-5-6 or O-1-2 can afford the rent has worked well for us, and that has been a part of our investing strategy. 

When a borrower has a history of receiving rental income from the subject property since the previous tax year, the borrower must provide most recent Federal Tax Returns, including IRS Schedule E, covering the previous two (2) yearsCalculating Effective Rental Income � Any net rental income from the subject property must be added to the borrower’s qualifying gross monthly income after averaging the reported net rental income/loss reflected on Schedule E of the tax returns.� When calculating the average net rental income/loss, any depreciation, mortgage interest, taxes, insurance, and HOA dues reflected for the subject property may be added back to the net income/loss.� If the borrower has owned the subject property for less than 2 years, rental income/loss must be annualized for the length of time the property has been owned.