Has anyone else gone through this kind of strategy either with BP or elsewhere to start committing to the idea of REI?  

@Joe Fairless - good question, lessons learned are:- stay focused and commit to the plan.

Good evening everyone, I'm new to BP, have been considering real estate as an investment for the better part of the last decade, and am in a place now where I'm committed to taking action in the next 6 months to get started.

@Bob BowlingWhile I think it would be clear that presenting comprehensive calculations - with the clear indication that one figure is designed to be an apples-to-apples comparison to the numerous other numbers floating around in the market, while highlighting that the others are complete calculations including expenses that other companies don't even mention - is not the same as a bait and switch, you seem committed to your opinion and your use of the capslock key, so I'm not sure I could convince you otherwise no matter what I said. 

I don't usually make the ACRE meeting because I have a Thursday night commitment, but I host the www.ABQREIA.com meetup so I am always there.

There is no half way commitment in this.

Once you pick one, totally commit to learning everything you can, while building your credit, cash reserves, and your network. 

I would just be very carefully with whatever you do because the last thing you want is to commit mortgage fraud.

This might be old-fashioned but in our view, it takes a realistic length of time - at least several months or even a few years - to know someone really well and make a commitment to them based on real trust.

less work and if they are above board they are happy to do it - it protects them too by making it crystal clear what they are expected to do.make sure any contractor can meet your scheduling needs and makes a commitment to do so.