Glad you enjoyed it, @Jana Cain!  

Now that same family member owns half a dozen houses of his own and is enjoying a much better retirement because of it.Point is, maybe you just need to "show" them how you can make money as opposed to "telling" them.Or, maybe help educate them on what exactly you want to do. 

After all, I enjoy getting checks monthly - but it would nice to cash in a fat check once in while too.Question 2 - Networking is key to finding good deals - MLS can have some good deals periodically - but the best deals are going to come from a distressed situation that you find out about through word of mouth - and that means staying in front of your network and growing it so that you are exposed to new situations and opportunities.

If I were about 30 years younger (now 70 and enjoying the fruits of my decades of labor) I'd be hitailing it to Texas ASAP. 

Not only do the delivery people hate this, the person tasked with the job will be ready to sit in a hot bath and slit their wrist once it is all over.

Then this area of the blog is for you.How it works:Articles in this area are generally 2,000+ words.They're authored by some of our best, most experienced writers.They cover a range of subject areas (these articles will still be find-able by searching within their specific real estate category) but generally are our "ultimate" looks at these subject matters.Check it out here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/category/...There really is a wealth of information there -- so enjoy!

Enjoyed the pics.

We have also enjoyed buying brick houses near AF bases (brick, because I don't want to replace siding). 

Or should I just leave well enough alone and fill the empties with repos, increase lot rents minimally, and enjoy the ride?

My only real exposure to real estate is a few books that I've read on the topic and I was actually referred to these forums by reading one of Brandon Turner's books and this looks like a great place to begin my real estate education :)I'm just your average guy that is fed up with a 9-5 job and looking to become financially free in my future, but even more than that to get rid of the boss and free up my time to do the things I enjoy most, so I guess you can say I am highly motivated to look into this new venture.My present time goals are to educate myself about the real estate world while connecting with those who are where I want to be and hopefully finding someone who can mentor me in this area.And my next goal after that would be to acquire a multi-family home here in Orange County that would allow us to live rent-free or cheap in the same home.Thanks for stopping by.