On the other hand I have a friend that has a wife of 60+ years, a paid for home, kids and grand kids that visit him all the time, hunts and fishes whenever he wants, never made more than $40K a year and doesn't really want for anything.

Good luck on your hunt..

My mother was in the process of dying when I started this thread (she died less than a year after I started this thread) and I was a bit edgy.

pcId=14939&prodId=1987899&ptnrid=18&ptnrdata=1101040329" Just like the schmoe who buys a winning lottery ticket -- every once in a while, someone, somewhere really does use these edgy real estate investment techniques to make millions."

Find ways to hunt for bargains.Attend all the open houses in the areas you think you want to invest.

So I'll keep hunting for houses/MF or will just buy land deals in great areas that don't require grinder pumps or that already have taps in place.

The learning and effort needed to hunt down severely undervalued properties, sometimes out-of-state, the learning and effort of doing renovations and managing contractors, the learning and effort needed to list properties, screen tenants and perform property management - these are things that are needed in running a real estate BUSINESS.

I haven't closed my first wholesale deal yet (mostly because I've been so busy with my full-time job and going to classes to get my license) but I've been hunting for leads and getting into the biz as much as I can for a while.

And I am the last one to steer you because the properties in one of the formerly-edgy, tired old neighborhoods are the ones with the most likelihood of appreciation and the neighborhoods I point buyers to. 

If it is going to leave you distraught if you walk in and your carefully selected paint or carpets are damaged, don't do this.What is your plan after the house hunting gig ends?