I figured that getting my license and working in an agency with successful sales people will give me a wealth of knowledge as well as earn the opportunity to get income through my sales skills (spent time as a financial advisor for Prudential Financial, I also had stints in sales with AFLAC).If you can, I would love some awesome feedback on everything from: *What I need to know about working with a brokerage firm (membership dues, office politics, commission splits, location, size, etc)*How I should start investigating my market,*What kind of time and money I should be prepared to invest to get results in real estate sales,*Tips on getting into the commercial sector,And anything in between!

Let me put that another way: if they were presenting on the CNBC show "Shark Tank" what would they be offering as a financial return for my investment and over what period of time?

Mortgage bankers will consult you based on your overall long term financial goals.

Any advice on what my mother could do financially with the sale income without buying another property?

They will need to see the last few years tax returns, bank statements for the last 6-12 months, pay statement, and probably have you fill out a personal financial statement showing assets and liabilities.You don't want to wait until you have something under contract to do this.

What would you do with/where would you put the money to work (real estate or not) if you had aspirations of being financially free in 10 years?

Perform your Due Diligence, Review the Financials and Budget, Reserve Study, ByLaws and Rules, Is it Rentable, What are the Board Members like, FHA Financing Available, etc. 

Here's one. http://www.getricheducation.com/project/163-home-e...Basically, done right, instead of parking your money as an equity (paying off your mortgage), use that money to buy more houses, and you'll be financially ahead. 

Hi Liz,I think that this goes back to a basic financial concept of risk and reward. 

(that phrase may already be trademarked but I have no financial interest in capitalizing on it... it's just sound advice!)