Walk a mile in their shoes.

I'm in the same shoes - I moved a lot from house to house as I rehabbed them, but my wife said "No more!"

They're renting out 3 of the 4 units as apartments and the last one is for storage.

I've made some investments so far (401 (k), Roth, stocks, life insurance..) but it's time that I start investing in what I've always wanted to...Real Estate.I plan on spending the next few months delving into BiggerPockets...articles, forums, blogs etc...I want to start with an owner-occupied multi-family, and branch out from there.At this point I'm looking for any advice from the mavericks, the men/women who have been in my shoes at one point or another....Any and all advice would be appreciated.Thanks, heaps!

If I were in your shoes I would look into spliting the utilities and metering them separately.

I try to put myself in the seller's shoes, lets say its true that no major repairs are needed, just the old "tlc" repairs and its really worth 70 or 80k compared to the retail sale across the street asking $106k, if you want to cash out quick, would you mark it down to $60k or even $50k, now that's a FIRE SALE price that someone's going to jump on QUICK, but all the way down to $30k???!!!

What if out governments inept handling of the banking and housing situation causes a second shoe to drop and prices do not recover for another 10 years?

Used furniture brought in (beds, sofas etc), furniture that was left in storage for a while, cleanliness and guest that brought them from their homes.Catching them early is the key as they multiply by the day and act quickly.

BTW, I've been in your shoes.

I would like several rentals (single- and multiple-family, mini storage facilities, etc.).