As if people have the right to be stupid, get ripped or rip off others outsmarting the other guy.Mo. is not what I'd call overly consumer friendly, there is a political view of big business requiring the advantages over competition and to seek business from the public to include the ignorant or disadvantaged, free enterprise and the only hooks being set by violations or laws or in ethical areas, through complaints.Municipalities have the ability to require service industry providers or professions to demonstrate education or knowledge.

As self-employed individual you have the ability to set up this plan and rollover your existing IRA or 401k in it and being investing.

Definitely not trying to bite off more than I can chew at this point, although they will not be perfect by any means in my price range.I do have a handyman that is roughly a 15-20 minute drive from the area who I trust, so he would likely be my failsafe if an issue is over my abilities and/or time constraints.I currently run a small business that allows me great flexibility, so I would almost always have the ability to be an hour away if need be.Obviously there are a lot of factors to consider and no end-all answer to this, but the input is appreciated and I'll keep note of any other considerations that pop up from you all.Thanks again!

Honestly the only protection you do have is your ability to screen.

But the real problem comes when Mexico and Guatemala get it and they don't have the ability to contain it.

As real estate investors, we have a very unique set of needs and most companies and agents out there are limited in their ability to structure things properly and even offer the right coverage in many cases.One thing everyone needs to understand is that anything having to do with rental or any other form of passive/residual income, is considered a business exposure and absolutely needs to be separated from any of your "personal" activities.I've been in the insurance business for 11 years and as an independent agent prior to becoming a real estate investor, I made this mistake all the time because I simply did not know, and most don't. 

I sense where people are coming from, pretty well, and if I get bad vibes, I'm not going to add to their abilities to do damage.

The benefit to them, especially if they have rolled and rolled 1031 exchanges, will be the ability to sell shares as they want over time. 

However, when dealing with residential lending (4 or fewer units) the bank is more concerned with your ability to repay where as commercial, 5+ units, looks more at the property's ability to generate income.  

Being an MBA and student of finance, my brain automatically evaluates everything we do to the financial sustainability ability.