A few years ago, I spoke to a few wealthy foreign investors that bought properties in "bad areas" in bulk.

Owning property has always been for those people who have already "arrived", they're already wealthy and successful, so they just start buying up other stuff.

However there is a culture that exists within our industry that is predicated on the path of least resistance in order to get a commission from a new investor trying to get into their first property. 

i am also a realtor with Keller Williams, also just PT - but i love KW and the culture.

Training, money (split), Atmosphere /culture,  micromanagement?

Because the highest ROI is about 1000 miles away from me where I own a number of properties that make a ton of moneyI tend to buy in the Southern half of the US for 3 reasons:1) you get much higher year-round occupancy rates in the South & it’s simply tough to earn a good ROI in the North if your place sits vacant for a big chunk of the year2) Culturally, the Southern half of the US seems to be a lot more accepting of STRs regulation-wise.

A culture of house-flipping, "liar loans," and easy money ran deep through the post-2000 culture.MYTH #2: Glass-Steagall Would Have Prevented the MeltdownMYTH #3: The Transactions Were Too Complicated For People to UnderstandThe bottom line is this:We ALL created the housing mess as a society - you, me, Wall Street, and the pandering financial dilettantes we voted into office.

It's an interesting place, known for its hippie culture and eclectic residents.

Creating long lasting wealth is my goal , not only for myself and my family but also to make a difference in the world .

Unless your bank has a great employee deal a broker is always your best option and a team member you will need in the future.You are young, investing and growing wealth is not a race and if you think it is you are about to have a rude awakening.