Clarke, welcome to BP...Some things off the top of my head include....a) Churchb) Fitness clubc) Pick a nice neighborhood and saturate it door to door just shaking hands.

The only other trend is parents buying houses in formerly great neighborhoods for kiddies.

It's not just that some people are different in private.No matter how nice the neighborhood, the bad guys have cars.

I'm really enjoying the weather, cool nights and sunny days.I DON'T MISS TEXAS.I plan on spending another month or so getting grounded in the local nuances so I don't accidently buy in a degrading neighborhood, but I have made a couple of great local contacts.And of course I'll still be on here spreading my sarcasm.All cash

Four years experience as a management professional with the capability of directing an effective operation through the application of experience in policy determination, planning, organizing, administration, and staff development.

I was going to post about the search function, being able to search just by title/topic, but it was already discussed.Someone had commented that the FAQ isn't really a FAQ but an index, and there was discussion of an organizer.

In one of my neighborhoods I had my (and the market's) rent at $650 in '83, and it dropped to $550 in '85-86.

Low rent on not-the-greatest house (old and poorly laid out), but good neighborhood and good landlord.

Most investors cold call by looking through old fsbo listings in the newspaper, waste gas doing driveby's in the neighborhood, or run the same ad every investors runs: WE BUY HOUSES ANY CONDITION ANY AREA...

I'm working my way through my copy now and, I have to say, Richard did an excellent job 8) *Tons* of practical information, well organized, and well written.