Why would you trade a lower rate with PMI that cancels for higher rates that will last the life of the loan?

With our skill sets our time and money would be better used in an area with a much better economy (not here in the very north country).  

I am just tradiing stocks with it now and losing more than gaining so it will be a good trade off.

When I thought to myself about what I could do with my learned skills in the construction trade and my want for my family's future to be as bright as possible, I instantly thought of real estate of something I could put my focus on to help me now and in the future.I am building a short term plan to get started by flipping my first home purchase and could use all the pointers I could get from people in the area.

With your skill set as a carpenter I would try and leverage your money into a fixer that you can provide the sweat equity on.

(Filter for beginner, will learn negotiation skills and system later to potentially "turn*" some of the filtered out diamonds in rough)Equipped with information above I'm confident to find the deals I'd like to look into and make that appointment at least one week in advance before my plane lands; specifically the March 21-23.Thanks for reading and your thoughts,Suni

If flipping is your desire find a building trade you are interested in.

This property is in very bad shape and would need a contractor or a very skilled rehabber to get this thing repaired and resold.

You might want to look into a degree focused on "soft" skills like organizational behavior/management.

Skills needed are drywall repair, painting, and possibly some landscaping.