Every newbie investor starts out trying to squeeze every penny of savings they can out of what they are doing, but usually trip over dollars to save these pennies:(You should be tapping into all the experience on this site to ask how to better screen tenants!

BiggerPockets’ forums and their book The Book on Wholesaling Real Estate by Jamil Damji and Pace Morby is also a great starting point.REI Meetups: Check out NY-area real estate meetups and REI clubs (NYC Real Estate Investors Association, Meetup.com) — there you’ll find classes, mentors, and networking opportunities.Practice Talking to Sellers & Buyers: Even before you have a deal, practice analyzing properties, cold-calling, and building your buyer’s list.Start small, stay consistent, and focus on learning one piece at a time — you’ll gain confidence faster than you think.

Honestly, stumbling into your first properties is more common than you’d think.

We have debated a couple times whether he would have done better investing in San Diego - we agree to disagree.  

A better location typically means less risk for the investor.Unlike many other investment types, real estate is one where investing more usually means less risk.

They also usually want the property to be owner-occupied or, at the very least, not have ambiguous use.

Also, if we fast forward to 5 years, we will not be able to afford the same condo closer to Boston due to the fierce competition here.

Slightly older housing, and some neighborhoods are better or worse than others, but high growth in Durham overall going forward and cheaper real estate.

The local laws are usually very clear on how a former resident can obtain possession of their property and trespassing unsupervised is usually not legal.  

This coverage is typically optional and usually capped at $10,000 or $15,000 so you should double check that if you haven't already.