I live in Lamesa and started to look for a home for myself and have come to realize that in my area they are getting top dollar for outdated property.

It sounds like some people realized that it might not be in the citizen's best interest to use their own money to prop up the cost of their largest expense.

I do realize both markets are high, but there must be some opportunities or another strategy to start off with. persevere!

Not saying you wouldn't start making money right out of the gate as an agent or wholesaler, as some people do, just that it will probably take you longer than 5 months to realize a profit that could pay down your debt after the expenses of getting started.

I realized this evening that as long as I'm looking for work, I may as well look for work that I could learn from and apply to my future real estate investing career.What work/jobs would you suggest I look into?

After reviewing some of the forums and listening to the Podcasts, I realized that BP is a great platform for me to learn about real estate investing from an active community with so much information such as this one.

Another factor and probably the most important factor is having a lender who is able to help you realize your dreams.Most realtors have a lender they work with.

I mean, I realize I want cheap but I don't want too cheap if you catch my drift.

If your unit has any special features they may not notice or realize is there (like a murphy bed that's in the "up" position), you might point that out.If I get multiple qualified tenants, I pick the "most" qualified one.

If you do they may still feel slighted since you're renting it and they want owner occupants.Either way if renting it makes the best financial sense for you then do it within the rules they've imposed even if they would prefer that you didn't.One thing to think about though is that as of right now, if you sell you would realize any equity in the property as a tax free gain since it was your primary residence.