I've been buying some stock but it's been mineral companies (I've only been buying that sector the past 15 months because I feel so strongly about it and silver/gold tends to do well when the economy slows though I'm not exclusive to gold/silver miners but also other minerals).

In short: I don’t have a strong desire to buy a place to live in for myself yet.

Older people are moving into urban areas, younger people are moving into urban areas and the immediate surrounding suburbs.So while pricing is overly high, I also don't see the dynamics of what people want changing, which will keep strong pressures on house pricing. 

It talks about how important it is to have a strong financial position BEFORE investing in real estate. 

I strongly suggest you call around to the banks in the area and see what programs they offer. 

VA loan or seller financing), you will still need money for closing costs, and I strongly recommend having enough reserves set aside.

If you get a 10 year signed then sell in 3 years you still have 7 years remaining on the lease and then the buyer sees they can likely get great financing and have say a 10% rent bump in 2 years.I have seen some buyer purchase at low cap rates regardless of years left but location had to be an A+ with and A+ tenant to feel strongly if the tenant went dark they had high dirt value to re-tenant and upside.          

What I do know from being an investor friendly agent is that regardless of if the buyer is retail or an investor, my job is exceptional service, a strong emphasis in certain areas of expertise, protection of my buyer and their interests and helping guide them to the right homes, not just blanketing them with every house that’s on the market. 

I have been a follower on BP for a while and have a strong background in rental property investing and I’ve decided to take the leap into getting licensed once again.

There are so many options here, but alternative or non-traditional options usually come from creating a strong network of friends, family and industry professionals.