My goal is to achieve financial independence and have enough passive income to pursue whatever is of my interest by age 30 (realize it's pretty vague right now, working on that).I talked with a recent college grad who is pursuing this path also and recommended that I talk with hard money lenders to talk about financing.

From what I've learned through reading, podcasts and other investors is this:Multi-Family:  Great cash flow, more doors for 1 purchase, faster path to achieving wealthSingle-Family:  Won't cash flow as much as MF, not as easy to scale up as MF. 

It important to know what your strategy to achieve your goals. 

It seems 8% preferred with an equity split on exit is achievable. 

What is the percentage you are aiming to achieve right now to prepare for uncertain times? 

It is a great place to meet new friends and learn about various aspects of real estate and more.Read Beginner’s Guide to help you get started: http://www.biggerpockets.com/real-estate-investingI hope BP helps you achieve your goals!

Allows me to achieve FIRE!

Those numbers are achievable in Lakeland, Plant City, and Winter Haven..

Currently, I have no real experience in real estate, but I have family members and influences in my life who invested in real estate and inspired me to pursue real estate investing to build long-term wealth and achieve financial independence.

Going from looking at house hacking in the US (with our beloved FHA loans and low-down conventional loan) and talking about house-hacking (owner occupying a property with investment intention)) is the equivalence of 3-D chess.Investing in other countries and achieving good cashflow and appreciation is certainly possible and is being doing consistently.