An appraisal is one individuals opinion of value, it is not a science.

The only way to do it is to over-purchase where you can't handle a short term down-turn.It's not rocket science.

@Joel Owens this was fascinating!

Property management is an art and a science. 3 properties should be a breeze if you have systems, policies and experience.

The economics, financial, social and mechanical and legal make it fascinating to me.

This is why it takes any culture a while to reach a level of prosperity where some individuals can dedicate themselves to music, art, philosophy or science.

I've become fascinated with the process of fixing and flipping houses.

If you can handle the math and science I would suggest that.It has the added bonus of being in demand in the job market if you end up needing a 9 to 5.   

If you can find something else with better returns and move on it quickly, then maybe that makes sense but I believe that investing and especially real estate investing is more an art than a science - at this point some early experience is worth more than any metric you can calculate on paper.

MARCH for SCIENCE!