For average priced houses there is really no reason to spend more than that.

The median rent is at $898 and the average rent at $948 from rentometer.

Industrial, office, retail,etc.Is the area urban, suburban, rural?

Attend as many REI's as possible in the first few months; not only to build your buyers list (make sure to build connections with "seasoned investors") but also to make amazing relationships with other people in the same industry to brainstorm marketing techniques that work in your market. 

Whenever you plan to purchase a tax lien certificate, you must factor in average attorney costs and other possible costs such as maintenance (to avoid weed liens, etc.) and future taxes.  

It is that easy to gain more knowledge and be more skilled when it comes to the real estate industry.

The real estate industry is one of the most competitive industries out there today and as the market fluctuates, the competition gets tougher.

@Edward R.Being in the window industry, most distributors won't deal with regular customers like you.

these are called low value assets and low balance loans.. its a widely known fact in the standard mortgage industry that these are the highest risk.it cost as much to foreclose on a 40k loan as a 400k loan.. there Is no money.. and those properties tend to be in less desirable areas or flat out war zones or worst area of a city..

I graduated college last year, and have a full time position in the financial services industry, which is helping me pay down student loans, mortgage, bills, etc, but I am comfortable with where I am at financially.I have found a few people who are as hungry as I am to get into real estate, and we are thinking of forming an LLC.