Interest only financing eliminates a factor of equity building, (return on your investment) and that's not good.It concerns me that you mentioned appreciation twice and no matter where you buy, it should always be counted as a potential bonus. 

Market like a madman and while price can be a part of that strategy, exposure, incentives and product are important for quickly renting a property.People starting out are often scared of finding and selecting tenants which makes Section 8 sounds so easy.

Your best bet is probably investing it across several REITs (so you are diversified) and can still have exposure to real estate.Under no circumstance should you pay 18K to "become" a sophisticated investor (especially if you're only looking to invest 10K).

This is because he was an experienced investor and I wanted to learn from him, so it was more about the education than the money (and the money just becomes a bonus).In the end, it depends how risk-averse you are and how fast you want to grow.  

That way, anything above mediocre is a bonus!

You have the added bonus as our other friends did to rent out the rooms.

Generally Open Houses primarily benefit agents, but having one couldn't hurt with exposure.  

Just started using these other methods and trying to weigh out the benefits.Is there a simple way to get all the exposure?

I am sure it will be used eventually but if not I will have a nice bonus someday.

We have done very well using transient military lifestyle as a bonus for investing.