I was born and raised in Dallas Texas.  

As Neal also mentioned, the I-5 bridge is not very commuter friendly especially when it is raised for boats.So although Vancouver may look appealing due to the lower price point to get in, I do not think it has the same appreciation potential as Portland does, which is partially what makes the buy and hold so appealing.

We have run tests in the field and have found they actually end up with better returns than some professional flips.  

I would suggest getting some cash together, raising credit score as high as possible, and investing time in acquiring knowledge before jumping into any purchase.

Details:$175k, 8 units, built 1966, $450 each unit rentassume 10% vacancy, 55% expenses, 4% interest rate, 25% down.Before raising the rents (basecase), I get 1.85% monthly rent to purchase price (2% rule)2.33 debt coverage ratio, 10 CAP, 21% cash on cash.All in all, not too bad.  

We're vegetarians, almost vegan (avoid dairy), so we've discussed the challenges of raising a child around everyone else being meat-eaters in our circle, we really need to find some vegetarian/vegan friends so he has some little veggie buddies that won't hassle him

I am Sharon, born and raised in Tel Aviv, spend my time in Milan and TA, I fly to the states about every 6 months, crazy about real estate since I was very young, I also coach and mentor people for passion in their lives, I love traveling, dogs (I have a JRT) and in my free time i go to concerts or just drive in my car (another hobby i have) listening to IL Volo, Elvis, Laura Pausini, Fabri Fibra and at least one yearly visit to La Scala. and yes, I can love them all equally as weird as it may sound. 

The Fed is rumored to raise interest rates in June of this year.

I am having a little bit of trouble shifting gears but I am working on is slowly.I am in Rhode island, I have been looking for deals on the MLS ( slim pickings as it seems ALOT of people in RI are looking for deals there) So I started a secondary search for wholesalers but The three I have found ( Craigslist) seem to be evaluating house differently then me because  when I run the 75% test its off.. ( different comps?

@Chris Eaker, if you don't have the money raised or at least committed and you get under contract and you can't close, it will be a very frustrating experience for you.Trust me I know...Plus you will have costs such as an attorney to draft and/or review your PSA, inspection and appraisal fees, and other costs.