My wife and I are also buy and hold investors here in Charlotte, but have only been investing for about a year and a half.  

I wouldn't advise it, especially if the other half is your primary residence.2.)

Then I started buying half million dollar houses and guess what; same work, same stress, same risk, but much bigger reward.

Learn as much as you can, Find that first house/duplex where you can rent half out and you'll be miles ahead of the rest of us when we were 19.Travis

Don't bother to bid until the last half hour of the last day.  

I must say that in my neck of the woods it's about half that.  

Can you put a half bath somewhere so that there is at least an extra toilet?

I have been half looking/wannabeing for several years, but I have yet to do a deal.

We live there half of the year now and have put between $300,000 - $400,000 into it over the last few years between paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance and all the repairs.

My neighbor law enforcement official said there are something like 8,000 "grows" in the county, but most of them are small, garage -based ops. these are getting phased out - I live in a former grow house, am currently rehabbing another, and about half the houses I evaluate were used as grows.I've had many conversations with real estate experts and others,  and there isn't a universal opinion of how legalization would impact the local economy.