Let me know if you'd like to hook up for a chat while you're in town Monday or Tuesday.Bryan Hancock Hopefully this will work out for you.

As Jenkins Ramon was getting at, have a look through the various forums on Biggerpockets to work out which aspects of REI you have an interest in.It seems the majority of members here have an interest in wholesaling, this is the lower monetary cost, higher sweat cost side of REI, hunting down a deal and passing it for a small fee to someone who can buy it.You have people who go to the courthouse steps and bid on tax defaulted properties, and foreclosed properties.

The numbers always look good on paper.Then you analyze and find out the numbers are off.Now what is left is finance options with the real numbers and if the seller is realistic or not.A four plex has it's own issues.Buying a larger complex can be okay for your first one if you purchase correctly.If purchased wrongly it can take down your other positive investments just to keep it afloat.5 units up to about 20 units someone can self manage but it gets really hard.Larger size properties it's easier to have a full time PM company in place where that's all they do.If you are buying in a less desirable part of town for more cash flow usually the more intense management and unit turnover rate will eat into the perceived extra cash flow gains.Nicer areas with better demographics will have more lenders lining up to give you great loan terms over suspect areas which present more risk of the area going really bad for the lender.If an area tilts from okay to bad now the lender is taking on a foreclosure for a huge loss on the loan.

I work out of Cleveland in the REI field and will actually be in NYC from the 16th-18th.

There are ways to verify, but they are very expensive and labor intensive.

I will let you know how things work out.

Forget it, the expenses on this are a killer.Scott Kronzek - now, if you can work out some kind of discount dues at CoStar for BP members ...

Gouging might work out a time or two, but may ruin possible future sales.

My $.02...Just like has happened several times in the recent past with similar deadlines, the two sides will come together at the last minute, work out a deal that neither side claims to be very happy about, and which will ultimately just "kick the can down the road" to be worried about at a later time...Rinse and repeat.

Experienced investors work out of state and sometimes out of country but in this case you need an good PM in this location.