Can you give me an idea as to how I can learn which neighborhoods to focus my attention on as I just start out?

I took some courses to gain more knowledge this past October and have been lurking here since November.

Would you rather pay more and get personal/private attention or pay less and be part of a large group?

With that said there are those who like long term gain....

I am enthralled with becoming a Real Estate Investor and would really like to find a REI mentor or someone who I can "shadow", as a way to gain practical knowledge to partner with the info I've gotten from this forum and books.

Looking forward to gaining knowledge and contacts from this great site!!

I also sold a home for a little more than Bawldguy thought I could.My net worth doubled in that time.Hopefully real soon I will broaden out in lending and gaining equity through other investments.

I'd like to extend Eric's challenge to help gain us even more visitors to the site through promoting BiggerPockets by means of the various Social Bookmarking websites.If you use any of the bookmarking sites below OR any that may not be listed, please be sure to spread the love and bookmark BiggerPockets & the BiggerPockets Forums.BookMark Away!

Federal Spending must be reduced CONSIDERABLY, and taxes must also be reduced PERMANENTLY, e.g. the Death Tax, Corporate Tax, Capital Gains tax, and a STRONG reduction in income tax across the board, but focusing a larger cut on the 25-33% tax bracket.

In short, our investors gain all the benefits of owning a rental property, without the management hassles of landlording.