I'm not sold on the idea of trading my time for money until the day I die, so I'm pursuing buy and hold rentals as a means of achieving financial independence.

Having been here for a few weeks already I'm feeling my optimism about being able to find a property that I can afford, and where the numbers work, here in Denver may have been short sighted.I have a chunk of cash, from a previous sale, to put down on something but its not enough for what I'm looking for.

Typical vague law, on purpose so government can define and enforce how it likes.So because the HOA forbade me to rent out as a 30-day minimum rental, which I could easily get $5,000+ in the high season and $3,500+ in the low season from mainland visitors (mostly Canadians), and the zoning department did not allow 2 families to live in the same single-family home, I had to move out of the home and would have to rely on long-term rentals from the impoverished local economy.So with the low rent against a high mortgage just made it not worth it at all and I was losing -$700 per month, even with an optimal renter.

@Billy L. and several others have asked me why I like the Stockton market, so I figured I'd share my perspective on the market and an example of how I achieve a 13% cash on cash return.

I know this will be a lot of work for many reasons but will do my best to achieve it within 10 years.I look forward to reading all the tips people give and taking in whatever research I can.

or bad (if you bought those SFH at the peak in a sub-market like so many cities in the US today, you're underwater still).Not to say you can't achieve diversification with RE as well (i.e buy a REIT); to me, for pure income / cash flow, that's my preferred direction (buy a REIT; I get good diversification, it's property managed, I don't have to worry about maintenance or repairs or whatever else; just a solid cash flow / income stream in the asset class (apartments, shopping malls, whatever else) that I choose).For appreciation though, I think of RE like picking individual stocks or a business to buy; if you have the time, the skills, and the patience - you can make outsized gains compared to the overall market.

Ideally we can encourage, educate, and challenge each other to achieve more than we might otherwise individually.And, hey, if after a few meetings we decide it's not working, then that's fine too. 

Which makes your selection of builder that much more important, you will have to connect with them on a more personal level to achieve your overall goal. 

I know that you will more than enough on this site to help you achieve your goal of retiring before the age of 60!

In the past several years, I have worked to achieve several additional designations including CLHMS (Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist), SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Specialist and is e-Pro Certified.