Others (such as myself) buy property with the highest amount of leverage possible and would care more about cash flow.

So if you have like $80k in debt and $140k in equity, you can use the equity to put down payments on two ~$100k props and even buy a third outright if you'd prefer not to be completely leveraged (you'd still end up with more debt than you currently have, maybe $160k instead of my $80k assumption).

I've been reading some of the forums in BP and I know some say to educate yourself, then build a buyers list.

Preferably as many units as possible but with hidden value in making improvements (the unfinished attic in our current house was a goldmine) a.My feeling is auctions are good place to go for this but I don’t know anything about auctions. 3.Rent a property to live in for the first year I can’t subject my fiancé to living in a gut rehab again 4.Use the cash generated from the property and work during that first year to put together a down payment for a house for us. 5.Re finance the rental property and buy more property.These are my other day one questions: 1.I’m an architect, does anyone have any advice for actively leveraging my skills to help me do this real estate investing thing full time/ what career change could help me ease into this while still having a salary?

A (former) friend of mine was heavy into this a few years before the subprime meltdown, and was hit hard by foreclosures to his properties because he was too highly leveraged, usually buying with little to no equity built in.

Afterwards I began my education at the Kelley School of Business as a marketing and international business dual major.

I've been looking at buying a larger package that will require some leverage.

In my eternal optimism, I'm hoping he was inflating that commission as leverage to use for negotiation with the buyer.

Keep educating yourself and make the move to invest in RE as this will provide you with Financial Freedom to do more of what you love to do.

Since it sounds like you're new to BP, start with the section called "Education", sign up for the webinars, listen to podcasts, read books.