Everything you buy - EVERYTHING - especially food, has some wholesaling involved at some point be it in the raw materials used to manufacture it, the bulk discount obtained by shipping mass quantities, or the actual product you purchase at point of sale.SO, why should real estate be any different?

I had a chance to go through Marty Boardman book and also met with him in person I highly recommend his material and wisdomvia Real Estate Flipping

I will be aboard ship without phone access and very limited internet access.

It's ok to pay for materials, but know what you are paying for.When you get bids, make sure all the contractors are bidding on the same quality of work and materials.

I am personally negative on Manhattan longterm, as I think many aspects that made NY the center of US cultural mindset being competed/globalized away due to Internet.

Everyone is entitled to a different opinion, not to mention the whole internet will be pulling your comments up when searching for this similar subject.Knowledge is power and for the average person out here, any advantage we can learn will allow our money to work for us even if the payoff is quick.Just my two pesos.Big Henry

I got some decent laminate installed w/ padding for about $3/sqft ($1/ft for laminate materials).

For most people, I wouldn't actually recommend renting out rooms unless they really know what they're getting themselves into in terms of: insurance, repairs, liability, noise, screening people, state tenant-landlord laws, etc.The main irritating thing about roommates is when they whine about silly stuff- "my internet went down" 5 minutes after it went down.

Will insurance be (materially) higher for one of the main foundation types in North Texas: slab vs. pier & beam?

Fortunately you are in the right place, BP offers great education materials.