I don't have experience in this but people often bring up insurance policies versus LLCs when discussing protection.

Make sure to price this into your calculator when analyzing each scenario.It would also be a little more difficult dealing with two separate tenants versus one, not sure if you would manage or pay for professional management but another thing to consider.Good luck!

I do agree that stocks can be more hands off than RE typically is but I have known some stock investors who spend more time on their stocks than it would take to manage a decent amount of RE assets.I have used margin on occasion (mostly to avoid selling stock when I have removed capital from my investment accounts) but I do not consider it equivalent to conventional financing on RE for a couple of reasons: 1) The RE conventional loan rate is much lower than the margin loan (conventional RE loan is typically over 3% lower than a margin loan) 2) The loan on a buy n hold is paid by the renter (i.e. out of the cash flow) and not out of the appreciation versus the stocks the margin payoff is only materialized via the stock when the stock appreciates more than the rate on the margin loan.For example if I purchase a stock on a margin loan of 7% (which is a preferred rate for larger margin loans or better customers) I require the stock to go up more than 7% to obtain any profit.  

I would rather pay $45-$85 an hour versus finding out after a long flight or drive into town that you've paid for a contractor to run your investment into the ground.

Preferably, this is what they make their money on, but I would want them to derive at least 30% or more of their income from the kinds of deals you want to do.As for LLC's the reason that some states are more preferable than others is that they are good for the managers of the LLC versus their investors.  

Keep in mind I'm not pursuing this full-time, (at least for the near future) so I'm curious about the time commitment and the necessity to actually get my own license versus just using my own agent.

Of course, there are many routes investors can take to reach this destination.Two of the most common ways people invest, is in the stock market, and in real estate.The subject of dividend stocks versus real estate is a complex topic, with no one right answer.

The why is because your lender won't give you the same loan if you pay cash versus refi of an existing loan.  

He was a bit of a player, so I mention to him that if she was on it and they had a fight, he could not kick her out versus as being a guest and therefore he could sooner.

@Rosh VarugheseYour banking system works a little differently than ours with respect to refinancing and penalties.Before considering penalties, if you need the funds in the short term for an acquisition, you will generally want to refinance and place a mortgage versus a secured line of credit - you will obtain a better rate on the money you borrow.If you will need the money at different periods in time several months out, you may better off with a secured line of credit - your interest rate will be higher, but you need only draw down the monies you need at the moment.Here in Canada, there are stiff penalties (IRD) for early payout of a fixed-rate, fixed-term mortgage.