The forced equity is the real money maker in my opinion.

It's definitely a C- when compared to other areas in Massachusetts but the rents are great and you can find low cost multi's, do a little TLC and make really good profits. 

Being an agent is a path to make real estate your career, not just your investment vehicle.

@Lucas Carl Same as you, drip coffee maker with the big Costco cans of coffee and creamer.  

Josh this is a tough oneFirst of all if this was an "above board " contractor meaning he is operating a business legally with Calif St Contractor License, a bond,and liabilty insurance has a commercial vehicle on the road with insurances  theres no way he a charge $50 an hour  in S Calif and make a profit.I am much higher than this guy.In fact any legimate service business in S Calif be it electrician,HVAC,finish carpenter and or plumber is at 200 to 225.00 per hour.You cant charge what grandpa did back in the day.Gasoline is $5.00 a gallon for God sakes.thats cold turkey,,,I would go to a reliable plumbing supply house like Hirsch Pipe and Supply and ask for a couple refferals on good plumbing contractors who buy lots of material and pay their bills on time.Also ask about their "attitude" and if they are "easy to get along with".This will tell you clearly that they are legit and easy to work with.You dont need to- run "an adult day care center" on a job site.They are plenty of good contractors out there that have their "big boy pants on" know what they are doing and get get a job done in and out fast without pissing of the other trades on a job.Having said that ,most competant firms will insist on providing their own material as they now what they like and maker a small profit on its mark up.Hope that helpsDD\

We actually thought about signing up for the Master course, but not because we had grandeurs of getting rich quick, we just knew if we dropped that kind of money, we'd have no choice but to grind it out and make RE investing successful.

Thus positioning them into a place to be, very literally, a "market maker".

They watch these stupid shows like Million Dollar Listing and other Bravo TV shows which make real estate investing so easy.

The point I am making is the decision the GP makes is circumstantial and very specific to the fact pattern of their particular deal and to tie back to my first post in this thread, who that decision maker really is is important. 

While your family member might have some valid concerns, there are definitely ways to address them and make real estate a successful investment strategy.Let's break down your family member's points and explore the counter-arguments:Interest Rates and Appreciation:Yes, mortgage rates are higher than they've been in recent years.