Then I got to the point where I felt that I was "book smart" enough that the only way to really learn anything more was to jump in and get hands on experience.

Background Story; My fiance's best friend, recently going through a bad break up, has always rented (lives with her sister, her cats, and her sister's dog), but she thinks now it may be a good idea to finally buy as rents are high and even more difficult for ones allowing pets. 

My husband and I have been talking about purchasing an investment property for several years and decided it’s finally time to pull the trigger.

Plus...escape velocity...Episode 113 – Jay Papasan - Very practical slow and steady adviceEpisode 221 - Tim Shiner - his concept of equity build up and "shearing the sheep" shows some of the flexibility of real estate vs a 401k Last but not least, I strongly recommend all the tax advice given by my fellow CPAs.Amanda HanBrandon HallTax Reform Update – Brandon Hall and Amanda Han Linda Weygant GuidesUltimate Beginners Guide Forum StickiesBP Calculators or spreadsheets uploaded by membersMy Favorite Books I have to say all of the BP books…right?

Finally got a conventional offer, cleared $5000 as opposed to $15,000 on my “easiest work” flip.

If they split it would all be up for grabs, unless you did something very off-the-books.

At last, after being tossed from people to people I finally received an answer that all the information was online.

Here are the final numbers on the deal i'm working on.Owner owns house free and clear, does not live in it anymore but still maintains it. 

I would love to have contacts around the country for address book :)-Makenzie 

I'll try to answer a few of your questions, but I am speaking from book knowledge (and evaluating a LOT of deals), not experience from operating them.