Done with back-story....on to my questions: I have been studying and saving money for about 8 months now.

@Jess BarkerNothing wrong with studying up and laying a solid foundation before you start building your real estate portfolio.

I believe that studying early gives you confidence to make moves once you have the resources to execute on your dreams/plans, and that's important because it takes guts and confidence to invest.

I'm not saying there is no value in courses you might pay for but if you devote the same amount of time that you would spend in studying these courses to being involved in BP, I would bet you would gain a similar amount of knowledge.

Get a new appraisal to prove fair value too.

I've done deals in 10 states, I have never seen RE tax stamps on any deed, that may be further west of my neighborhood.Some older folks believe the Abstract of Title is or contains a deed proving ownership, these were/are books, like 5" x 12/14" and usually a couple inches thick.

I'm moving to Houston soon and have been studying that market diligently, and I think it's a nice hybrid of cash flow and appreciation, but I only buy for the former and consider the latter a bonus.Lastly, I can assure you Hartman is making money on these deals.

You might enjoy it: How to Buy a Small MultiFamily Property: A Step by Step Case Study Seeya around the forums!

However, I live in Los Angeles and have studied/educated myself greatly on flipping homes here so that I can create larger capital to invest in rental props.

A few years later I lucked into a lease option home just on the outskirts of what would prove to be an up and coming neighborhood.