I live in Charlotte, NC and I feel as though this is an excellent place for growth and I definitely can say that this market has been real good to me.

I hope it's a smooth transition for you.I have to compliment you on your investment philosophy, which I am a huge advocate of, "investing to me is buying and holding with a medium to long term view for capital growth, whereas, flipping is a business or trading to make a profit".

Some areas are looking at price drops seehttp://www.inman.com/2014/05/12/home-price-growth-cools-but-unsustainable-and-unhealthy-in-some-large-markets/#.U4ZCrijijy4Affordability - credit at 43% DTI is an issue for many buyers.http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/news/fha-debt-to-income-296/Your business plan:Look at A and B neighborhoods.Market towholesalers that have leads with no equity in A and B neighborhoods.listed houses, expireds, landlords, fsbos, and houses purchased at the top of the market (2006 - 2008) for low equity.Offer lease option assignments, sub2 purchase or wrap purchase, use a RMLO and a good lawyer.Market for Owner financing buyers.Give speeches to Rotary, Lions, Chamber, etc. about solving problems for young families' housingPost cards to apartment buildings and rentalsWrite blogs about rent to own, credit being tight, etc.Create a meet up group for "Get Your Lease 2 Own Home Now"BOTTOM LINE.SOLVE PROBLEMS FOR SELLERS AND BUYERS.

I'm a newbie in REI and I look forward to learning immensely from this site.I'm very interested in making my first deal in a buy and hold rental.

Has the area seen significant growth?

Better market and more growth than the Mid Atlantic.

I check it quartly and adjust as neccessary so not a big deal at all and I can also afford to take a higher growth/risk route as I am not dependent on it.@ Michael - I plan to retire from my day job by age 40 without much difficulty even if my current pace is cut in half.

So if anyone has any info on these or anything else that would be beneficial I would appreciate it immensely!

I would like to do flips and hold some properties for rentals as I grow the business.

Depending on what your cards will end up charging you it may be best to start amortizing these cards so you can reduce your future risk of being subjected to high rates and or find new cards to payoff your currently cards.I think each person will find their fine balance of risk tolerance, equity/capital growth, and cash flow management.At the end of the day leverage is great if you know what you're doing but as long as you manage your cash flow efficiently with respect to your financial plan you'll be fine.