I live in a small town called Decatur, IL with about 100k people.I am 25 and bought my first two properties with cash I had saved since I was 17.

However its not an investment that pays you money, its one that saves you money.

You really open yourself up to a lot of snakes who think it's cool to go around someone on a deal just to save a couple of bucks.

The agents see all this free stuff as a way to save money.Instead you should get your own website, own materials, slogans, etc. so that if and when you leave you simply change the brokerage name rather than starting from scratch.

I'm not a math whiz but I do have a background in finance and credit and I've always seen that paying off the debt with the highest rates first saves you the most money.

Joshua Dorkin - sounds like having a draft auto-save feature might be a good idea to add to the "TO DO" list.

Reason being that I'll be saving quite a bit by not having a mortgage, HOA, utilities, etc. and just renting out a room from my friend until I purchase a new primary.

It'll make up for itself in the saved time on mistakes.

If you hold longer than 1 year then you'll be eligible for long term capital gains rates upon resale.Your equity can serve as a saving account to be used for future acquisitions.

If the lien is old and was paid, you can probably save the deal.