Signs, marketing, lead generation, etc. cost money.

I started off by looking in my neighborhood as a means of generating my own farm area.

1) Current home (to convert to rental)Bought for $245K a few years back, monthly PITI of ~$2,000 per month (3.125% rate 15-year mortgage with 20% down)Can fetch fair market rent of ~$2,000 per month once we move out and put on rental market; with some vacancies and maintenace built in probably more like $1,500 per month in net rental income per monthGreat neighborhood in NW Houston suburbs with lots of nearby commercial/retail development as well as excellent 10/10/9 schools, so good price appreciation potential2) Target purchase home (to move family into)Looking to buy ~$175K home, much smaller square footage, with monthly PITI of ~$1,300 per month (assuming 4% rate 30-year mortgage with 20% down)Probably will buy in same neighborhood given great schools and retail developmentEssentially, I would gain $1,500 per month of rental income from the old house and assume an incremental $1,300 per month in PITI from the new house, so this would seem to help me generate some income

Much of my generation (I’m in my mid-40s) and younger generations don’t have the skill set to do common repairs or remodeling so they have to pay labor costs for every repair or update.Those who realize they don’t have the knowledge, skills or desire to maintain or renovate a house are renting.Renting makes sense for an ever increasing portion of the population.

There are much simpler ways to generate leads. 

Payton,First off.. commercial property is priced according to it's income generating potential.

I will definitely consider this as a way to generate leads :) 

Next 6 months: Establish web presence/SEO sufficient to generate 3 or > seller leads per day3. 1 year: Do 2-5 wholesale deals per month4. 1.5 to 2 years: Begin Fix-n-flipping myself/with partners/team5. 2 years and beyond: Start building a growing portfolio of rental income properties with favorable CAP ratesI am open to any suggestions etc.Thank you for reading Bigger Pockets Jedis!

Just have to keep in mind long term that technically your not allowed to rent both units, it's supposed to be owner occupied.I like La Mesa in that price range because its close to the city, safe, and will continue to gain popularity over the next few years with the younger generation of renters.

I'm working on building a website to drive traffic and generate leads with online advertising and business cards.