Reading the forums here keeps me motivated and my eye on the bigger picture for the future.

If anyone needs another set of eyes on their branding/marketing I love to offer free advice (this is not a solicitation, I do not offer branding/marketing services anymore, my Romanticism matured and I want to be do something that will lead to long term success, like REI) Saludos desde Miami.

Welcome @Collette Douglas BP is a great resource full of knowledgeable people While you look for a mentoer - One tip that I picked up here is while you are saving money for your investments, start driving / visiting areas you would like to invest in so you get a feel for prices, rents , house conditions etc, and visit and look at lots of homes and open houses so your eye get used to looking at repairs / upgrades that are normal in a particular market.

Having built up a decent-sized nest egg, I have been ingesting as much real estate knowledge as possible over the past six months, with my eye on either buying a home in the NoVA-area to live in or a home in TX to rent.I've also thought about becoming a realtor here on the East Coast, but it would be a huge step back in terms of security and income for the first few years.

If they don't see eye to eye on what is best for you and your pursuits how do you handle it?

When you consider whether your chosen markets are landlord-friendly or tenant-friendly, Chicago stands out like a sore thumb.

Some people don't look at the big picture (an ugly eye sore getting spruced up and improving the neighborhood) and instead look at the short term (a branch fell in my yard today).

Some tenants "hold over" even after being asked to leave or court ordered to vacate, so keep an eye on the process.

I keep an eye on it, but from what I've been able to tell, I can do a far better job cash flowing in other markets with more of them AND have someone else manage the properties.  

If you've ever seen regret in a man's eyes after he's become too old to do what he's always wanted to do, you'll realize that fear of failure pales in comparison.