. - of course everyone is different and appreciation is great but if this is where you are growing your roots for now I definitely wouldn't let the lack of appreciation potential stop you from investing.

I'm rooting for you! 

Lenders take kindly to a good employment record with W2 income, so that's been beneficial.My real estate investing is at the grass roots level, interfacing with tenants and participating as a community player to enhance the livability of our community.

My grandparents were  in their teens when the depression hit so the definition of 'wealthy' has changed drastically and we need to remember our roots.

Astro's moved over to the AL a few years ago and I get to see my Sawx (Rhody roots) at least once a year in Minute Maid now.

Can't recommend Roots team highly enough!

Rooting for you!

@Tae JangWell, that's good about having family there and having roots there as well.I also know what you mean about fixing a distressed property on your first investment, it is not having experience or knowledge that makes it the most frightening.

Logically, I'm not sure how buying into a system can work any better than doing targeting marketing and grass roots research with lists available today...it seems to me in the world of find/(fix)/flip, you're either generating your own leads or paying others to generate your leads, so paying $3K plus 300 per month (or any amount) could only be judged based on quality of leads and ultimately ROI actuals. 

Pretty much every sewer pipe in the neighborhood was starting to fail with root infestations and the City was only updating the main.Relying 100% on public record data alone can increase your risk for missing deals or making a bad one.