Even if you aren't ready to buy, it will give you so much insight as to what properties are in what areas, how much they cost, etc.I'm an agent here in Pittsburgh and I work strictly with investors.

My North Oakland units, purchased 2015, are all condos in a single complex = no rent control.

Everything worked out fine but even two plus years later the building still sits vacant and I'm not going to lie, it still stings looking at that thing! 

Like crime rates, generally speaking, the higher the value of the real estate, the higher the demand ratio, but not always, and not even a large majority of the time.

If you're looking to put even less, you'd have to get creative somehow - house hack, second position seller financing, etc.

I will try to learn as much as i can before i even think about getting my own real estate.

Luckily I was driving over with my son to move all his stuff from his apartment to a storage unit at WSU so he can move into a single apartment for his grad school work.I was thinking it was the 2 water line screens.

@Mary Ainsworth Learning the market when it comes to mobile homes is similar to single-family homes.

Come on man...its not rocket science that a Tennent could use it to smoke in the house, even though I have a no smoking policy. 

Some comments in no particular order:- residential RE is not passive even with the use of a property manager.