My thinking right now is to begin with STR rental arbitrage to get my core systems in place, then scale up from there with property purchases.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/12/07/t...Article from 3 days ago makes a pretty compelling case for Clevelands come back.

If its small stuff and my core parnters IE I have been doing deals with them for more than a decade I just fund the rehab up front.. makes for much easier book keeping for me. 

Now Jeff, second question: Given the softening in the periphery areas, any implications for the core areas for the future?

Am I just compelled to saving up my income for two years until I have enough capitol or is there any other way?

Hi Curtis,It will really depend on where the property is located (urban core, suburban, rural).A local, regional, and national bank all have various programs.

The first step in making sure you are ready to recognize opportunities when they occur is to make sure you have a clear understanding of your own core competencies.

Build your core skills- get excel, learn how to build a spreadsheet business model, with sensitivity analysis.

In this case, buyers will be scarce as they run the risk of being compelled to restore the building to a SFR.In short, your friend will likely encounter a stiff headwind selling this property.

Podio is very simple at its core, but the customizability and app to app links seem to make it very powerful.I'm just starting to use it and was using someone else's apps, but find I'm completely changing them to fit what I want/need and what makes sense to me.