Was it age or was it a breakdown in the system?

My problem is that in comparison, downstairs looks "aged".

Many counties have their tax and courthouse documents online, and you can find out things like the square footage, beds, baths, age, construction info, etc.

I don't think your age has anything to do with whether or not a bank will take you seriously.

According to a NAHB, National association of Home Builders:14 millions households were purchased between 2011 and 2013.11% purchased brand new homes.43% were purchasing their first home.Median age of buyer was 32 years old with income of about $62,000Median age of new home buyers was 40 years with income of about $85,000Median value of homes was $168,000.The median buyer looked at 10 houses before buying.11% bought using cash or zero down financing17% used proceeds from sale of existing house to buy.Full study is at:http://www.nahbclassic.org/generic.aspx?

I'm thinking $10k/home (depending on the age/condition), but have no idea what to assign to the vacant lots. 

Listening to the stories of others that are near my age and have made real estate work despite having limited knowledge in the beginning gives me the continued motivation to believe that I can make this happen.

My parents own several successful commercial properties, and taught me from  very young age how profitable the industry can be.Investing in real estate is something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember.

My opinion is that many potential tenants want to know if you own the property because they know that they have something in their history that my preclude them from being able to rent through a PM company with more stringent rules.I has it happened to me over and over again.

Stated loans for Self Employed do exist now but they are only available in certain areas and fairly stringent.