I Google the topic and there are so many different articles and opinions it gets confusing.

But as far as the technical aspects, I found this article pretty helpful:http://retipster.com/valueofland/I like the comment above about playing the buyer's hand in poker. 

Be sure to read through The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing to help you get started.Also - here's a couple articles you might enjoy:The 21 Best Real Estate Investing Books Ever How to Rent Your House: The Definitive Step by Step GuideHow to Be a Landlord: Ten Tips for SuccessFinally -be sure to setup some keyword alerts - especially for "Reisterstown" so you can jump into local conversations.See you around the forums!

In the article he actually seems to be saying not to rely on appreciation of your housing as an investment strategy.

Isn't there an article on Free home Hacking here on BP?

According to a recent #BloombergBusiness article (Starwood Bets $5.4 Billion that Apartment Rents will keep Rising, Oshrat Carmiel, October 27, 2015), Starwood’s CEO, Barry Sternlicht, indicated that the purchase decision was made not on the presumption of strong rental growth, but on a rent growth that is projected to increase just marginally over inflation.

But just like with anything you outsource, you'll get better results if you understand the fundamentals.Google has a ton of videos and support articles.

It reminds of several articles I've read about starting a business that list items like visit your accountant and lawyer, print your business cards, obtain a business license...but don't even having SELLING on the list!

If you do a little research you will find that several past "gurus" went through bankrupt after their "system" stopped selling (I will find an article I read about this).

Just to throw a different perspective out there, I just read this article on MSNBC:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43682716/ns/business-stocks_and_economy/WASHINGTON — Hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month, the government said Friday, as employers added the fewest jobs in nine months.