The numbers you use to buy a place can change rapidly and cap ex vacancy and maintainance are all at best a guess so how accurate is your or my Coc number any how??  

We have some stocks that we are going to sell soon and are trying to decide if we should pay off our personal mortgage, or if we should pay off one of our rentals.  

In my opinion that is no different than playing the stock market, which most of my investments currently occupy.  

The issue is that this individual does not maintain a copy of the lease agreements for any of their property, doesn't maintain profit/loss statements, and can't tell me what kind of maintenance might be needed.

—In all criminal cases, contempt cases, and other cases filed pursuant to this chapter, if a party has sold, leased, or let real estate, the title to which was not in the party when it was offered for sale, lease, or letting, or such party has maintained an office bearing signs that real estate is for sale, lease, or rental thereat, or has advertised real estate for sale, lease, or rental, generally, or describing property, the title to which was not in such party at the time, it shall be a presumption that such party was acting or attempting to act as a real estate broker, and the burden of proof shall be upon him or her to show that he or she was not acting or attempting to act as a broker or sales associate.

Welcome, Joe, great to start with clean slate and little cash and time on your hands, I started in real estate after cashing out my stocks, savings and 401k paying being penalties but it was worth it.

I might as well buy stocks otherwise.  

You have to be able to maintain minimal emotional involvement in the property, you must be able to view it as an asset on which you derive income.  

My wife and I just started a venture in North Texas, we were able to cash out some stocks late last year and put a down payment on a SFH in a north dallas suburb.

I notice that the Newbie's on BP always want to jump in and start making Money with RE Investing as if it were Stock Investing.