You can deduct the expense, yes, but that is hardly, IMO, a "phenomenal advantage" as mentioned above ;) at least if you compare it to having an employer cover half of the expense or more.I have never had a job with benefits, and health insurance remains my single largest monthly expenditure.

But I've used titlesearch.com before and they seemed reliable.

Sign up with as many as you can eventually you will get them- You need a blackberry or pda so you can answer as soonas they are sent- It is usually sent to many realtors at the same time and the first to accept is the one who gets the job- Once you establish that you are reliable you will get more and more.lauren

If you think they're expensive, compare the price to a single course at a university or any sort of computer certification course.Jon

An appraiser looks in the MLS and public records and finds a few comparable properties.

The comparable sales I also found are in that general area too.

I personally like ROI over comparing cap rates because ROI factors my financing into the equation, and my financing options might be different on different properties.

* How does the stock market compare to real estate?

Plus books are cheap compared to a lot of these seminars and clinics...

Purchasing multi-family units are excellent investment choices (in my opinion , the best right now), particularly new constuction as they come with builder warranties (little or no maintenance costs for 1-2 years), they will have greater future appreciation (compared with older units), and they will be easier to sell when the market turns to an upswing.As others have mentioned, due your homework (due diligence) and most importantly, run the numbers to make sure the deal makes sense.