The third component that makes a good deal FOR ME is the potential for appreciation, both forced and organic.

Hi All,I am new to BP and am currently reading Raising Private Capital - Building your Real Estate Empire Using Other Peoples Money.I would like to know if any Real Estate Investors groups in Maine (Portland to Augusta preferably).

all those things considered... and of course I sold them right away mainly to Germans for 50 to 60k apiece so we took our 15 to 25k profits and did that for a year or so then went to Atlanta and was getting smokin deals there I think I bought 54 in one year at courthouse there then the big hedge funds came in and kicked us to the curb.. we kept those though and then rolled them all up and sold them all at once to a HEDGE fund.. doubled our money in 18 months on those.

@Jordan Lynch If you want "off-market" deals, you're going to have to put the time into generating those leads.... like it'll become your main hobby / business.

Mainly Phoenix, Seattle, Austin, Denver, Atlanta and Dallas.

Like it’s always said on the podcast and forums, I don’t need this first deal to be a homerun, I just need it for the main purpose of getting in the trenches and getting experience for the next 100 deals!

In Maine, it's very common for landlord supplied heat simply because heating oil and winters can be so unpredictable that both lower income tenants AND financially savvy blue collar tenants lean toward "heat and hot water included".

Generally, an inspector doesn't show up unannounced, with an appointment, for an inapplicable trade or component of a house. 

But mainly flip @Aaron Klatt

The two common choices for doing so are the self-directed IRA and the Solo 401k.The Solo 401k requires self-employment activity, but will allow you to take participant loans while the IRA does not.A few other Solo 401k benefits:Compared to an IRA, Solo 401k contributions limits are roughly ten times higher.There is no custodial requirement for the 401k.You don't need the additional expense and administration of an LLC to have checkbook control.There is a built in-Roth component whereas IRAs are either traditional or Roth, not both.A spouse can also participate in the same Solo 401k plan.The Solo 401k has additional tax benefits over an IRA when investing into real estate using leverage.The penalties for prohibited transactions are less severe, though it's best not to utilize this benefit :)With either structure, it's generally recommended that you do not commingle retirement and non-retirement assets.