I began educating myself with books and eventually joined Lifestyles here in Houston and began my push to start to invest in real estate.

Education Expenses and Professional Dues.Bigger Pockets offers a wealth of information for free, but you will want to supplement the information available here with good books, classes and other resources.

I've seen REO's listed for $30k more than a ready to move in house down the street,,either the agent was crazy or the bank calculated value by what was owed on it.The bank has to realize the loss on its books when the sale occurs, until then they still have an asset, and they are putting down what they think its worth,,,if they aren't ready to realize the loss, they may keep a higher value, then reduce it over time to keep from taking too much of a loss at one time (another reason they sit on inventory so long, they don't want to sell too many at once)andy

He said "Jeff they are smart, they know it's only me in here and it's 3 of them against me, they wait until there are no witnesses before banging and making noise"I could write a book about this guy and I have only dealt with him for 17 days so far, not even a whole month yet.

My gut is telling me that it's going to be a bumpy year for real estate considering interest rates going up to around 5%, tighter lending requirements, lower FHA loan limits, the big hedge funds and REITS moving out of the cash market.On the other hand, inventories are low, distressed properties are being taken off the books and defaults are low.So demand will outstrip supply in most areas of the country if only slightly.But that's just what I'm feeling.

The corporate life is becoming very monontonous and way to political these days so I am taking the plunge to learn a bit more about REI to hopefully someday (soon) make a leap and fulfill a dream.My experience is limited to a few books, some great reads here on the BP forums, growing up in a DIY family (so I am pretty confident in basic carpentry), and priding myself with common sense.

what are some best books i can read about Real Estate on flipping and wholesaling?

A good GC is worth their weight in gold.After auditing the books, I would probably try to work with him assuming it didn't eliminate my ability to make a profit on the deal and I wanted to work with him in the future.Honestly though, your biggest risk isn't with the GC, it is with the subs.

@Cheryl LebertWelcome.Check out the Start Here page http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthereCheck out BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide - A fantastic free book that walks through many of the key topics of real estate investing.Check out the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A weekly podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice.

Perfect...I've got that book...it's on my reading list for sure !!