You can't be everyone's friend to their life circumstances in this business or you will go broke quick.

2014 is definitely better than 2013.Buying and selling about 4 deals a month.http://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/223/topics/121707-real-life-of-a-real-estate-investor

Id love to go that rout, unfortunetly we have far to much stuff that we wouldn't be willing to give up to live the RV life.

Robert,If the objective of your purchase is cash-flow, then appreciation matters little - don't get me wrong, it's still nice, but the success of the investment does not rely upon it.Matching your product - in your case, single-story (ranch style) duplexes - to your clientele ({nearly} retired, aging tenants who do not wish to contend with stairs as they grow old or those with mobility issues), whether done explicitly or intuitively, is the key to low turnover.We are considering a multi-family unit which is comprised of 25-row houses in a single story garden home format as it has an appeal to our aging population.

I have absolutely zero real life Real Estate experience though so I could be way off base in that assumption.

BP nation - I need some ideas for non-internet marketing... This is a transitional moment as we start rolling out the new B-C multis, finding the right tenants will be critical.

Trying yard signs for the fir...

I've read about Lifestyles Unlimited and the reviews have been that it is a good program while others said it was very expensive.

That's a good thing to keep in mind if you are planning to go that route, especially if you wait until later in life....

I know the city well and have lived here my entire life, so I'm not focusing in on just one area, rather better deals.

I wouldn't suggest staging the bedrooms as it can make them appear smaller, as previously stated.I just flipped a home built in 1954 and staged it with mid-century modern styling and everyone who saw the "jewelry" loved what I did with the place.