@Emily Shirk  in this environment a good lender is frankly just as important as the agent lots of moving parts these days with the new TRID rules a poor mtg broker can kill a deal for you quicker than you can say what the heck happened.most agents go with lenders they know like and trust because the deal gets done.

For me, this is fine and although I'd like better returns, finding properties which yield more than that in safe neighborhoods in the valley is very challenging.

Very late responding to this post, life challenges... but thank you fellow pocketers

Yup, it's a challenge.

If you are correct and there is no rate hikes in 2017, what assets/investments do you think will do very well in this economic environment? 

Many experienced agents don't have the time or patience anymore and you'll learn from those deals that more often have challenging inspection issues, appraisal work orders, etc.

., Valerie this is a ton of useful information and it does scare me trying to get into a market that is a 2 hr drive.I simply can’t jump in the car and check on thinks or manage as I could if I could find something in Asheville (35 minutes away).My goal in contacting a realtor was following Brandon’s 30 steps in assessing a market such as average selling price, REO prices, length of time on market and what areas are seeing the most growth etc...He was very helpful and informed me that 9100 homes have sold in the last 12 months in the area and was very specific about what areas are seeing the most growth.He also gave me a list of large companies moving to the area, but again 2 hr drive is going to be a huge challenge especially for a newbie.

I've already gotten tons of great ideas from it and I like the challenge of coming up with creative ways to put deals together.What I'm looking to get out of this site: I'm sure my goals will evolve over time, but right now I'm looking for two things.

If you enjoy the challenge of trying to improve your investment, being hands on, and possibly making a better return.... go with real estate.

Lots of little money adds up and you will still have opportunities to sell real estate in that environment.