Not sure where to begin

General Real Estate Investing
1

Good morning,evening depending on where you are.
I have been reading the threads for some time now. Each of you seem to be quite well versed in certain areas and I would appreciate all the help and information I can get.

Here is the bio.

Husband and wife with a solid 25 year marriage.
Each with a credit score of 720 or better.
One piece of property with an equity of about 225K
Cash 30K
401 k 403 b with let’s say a lot.
Combined income of 175 + K per year
Living in Hawaii where prices remain out of control.
Would love to invest in real-estate. We are very conservative and need to start out SLOOOW!
It appears from the forum that once you get started it is like obtaining a tattoo, you get deeper and deeper into the ink.
Our goal is to have several pieces of property or investments that are self sufficient or that we can manage or have managed from a distant.
We are open to ALL suggestions from mobile homes to commercial and anything in between.
We are not looking for a “get rich now” program.
We have looked at property in Boston, Chicago, and Houston over the past several months. This should indicate that location does not matter.
What direction can you give.

Many many thanks for any and all response.

2

Rookie…

I agree that many properties in today large markets make no sense. I live in SoFl and we are way over priced for the rents. $300K condo or SFH will rent for $1500-1800 a month and you have taxes at 1.6% avg, ins is high and HOA fees. But if you look right you will still find deals to be made. You may have to look at 100 homes before you get a deal.
if you remain negative, then yes you will never find a deal and decide that an area is not worth investing in. Every area still has potentilal. Some areas are not for long term holds and are better for short term flips, rehab, etc.

3

thinkfirst, seems you selected a good screen name, as this appears to be what you’re doing: thinking before acting. Smart way to go.
There are as many ways to break into this business as there are pineapples in Hawaii. Your path depends upon your investment goals and your personal preferences. Can you tolerate risk, for example? Are you looking to buy and hold? As I said, so many ways to go.
I’ll give you my two cents, which I have oft repeated here. As a beginner in real estate, I find the best approach is a safe and conservative one, and that leads me to suggest options and lease options as your entry point.