Why....because it is a smart business decision naturally.

Back story: My area is not serviced with natural gas and gets a lot of snow. 

Would it be best to learn more about real estate through my job as a potential real estate agent or something of this nature?

It's a natural process to retain some properties and flip others. 

However, based on some communications with my immigration lawyer the nature of fix and flips involves some degree of conducting business which would be a violation of my visa status (which allows me to only work for my current employer).So I am trying to come up with a plan to start the investments without breaching any immigration restrictions.

My interest in real estate grew naturally last year from selling my home and buying a short sale.

In short, I believe there will naturally be ups and downs but that the U.S. southwest in general and Las Vegas in particular is primed for further growth (i.e. rental growth and price appreciation). 

Because of the nature of a non-recourse loan, the tendency is for LTVs to be lower and interest rates a bit higher than full recourse loans.

Or is that just the nature of the beast.

The coffee shop it can make a difference with stabilized cap rate if they are local, regional, or national name brand in nature.