If anything, experiencing these hardships has put me in the best state of mind that I’ve ever been in.

There are certainly many advantages for investing in your own backyard in terms of existing relationships, understanding the market and extra peace of mind especially when just starting out. 

More expensive but long term more peace of mind.

But keep in mind that if you want to defer all tax you cannot reimburse yourself for the improvements. 

I live in the Yonkers, ny area I’ve been reading a lot on real estate and have come to the conclusion that finding a mentor will really be great For my educationone person actually came to mind, the thing is he happens to be a customer of the company I work for and I’m not sure if approaching him would be crossing any boundaries and just wanted to know your thoughts on it I work for a small heating and air-conditioning company and the customer am Referring to Is a real estate investor and former real  estate attorney.

The process will offer peace of mind even if no major monetary pay off.

From the research that I've done (mind you, I'm still pretty new - so I understand my research may be a fantasy land!)

I will keep it in mind.

I'm open to any suggestions on educational sources, and where to network with like minded people to help me get started.Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

Especially with our long term investment goals in mind.