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Re:The Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by chimi on Friday January 18, 2013 @12:26PM (#5079768)
You can actually get them for even less than that and get more in rent. The cheapest way is through Tax Sales. You can buy a 3 bedroom house at a Tax Sale for low thousands of dollars and rent them out Section 8 for $800/mo or more and the US Government pays you all or a portion of the rent so it's reliable residual.

Of course it isn't that simple, sometimes the houses need a lot of work to get rent-ready and if you don't live near them you need a property manager. It's complicated and a lot of hard work but the dividends are incredible. You can also lose your shirt if you aren't careful.

I'll email you.

EDIT: Strike the email, here's a post to a blog with results from a Tax Sale in Tulsa County Oklahoma last year:

http://www.gavelhound.com/blog/Final+Results+for+the+2012+Tu...

Some of what you read in these comments below is true. Skepticism is warranted. It's hard. It's dirty. The houses do need a lot of work. The tenants don't pay sometimes, but the US Govt always does. Property managers take 10% or more of the rent to manage the properties. It's a BIG risk but BIG returns can be had as well. Plus, it does take time and emotional stamina. Imagine buying a house that was a meth lab. It happens. Imagine removing the person who lives in it and they burn it down. It happens.

Re:The Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by smackfu on Friday January 18, 2013 @12:37PM (#5079849)
The tricky part is that it's very easy to not notice when your "investment" turns into a "second job" that may not really be paying that well per hour.
Re:The Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by chimi on Friday January 18, 2013 @12:58PM (#5079985)
It's important to find a good property manager in the area you are investing. They do the work for you but the returns are less of course. Just like anything...
Re:The Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by illuminate on Friday January 18, 2013 @01:12PM (#5080058)
"It's important to find a good property manager in the area you are investing."

Also not as easy as implied.

Re:The Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by Mz on Friday January 18, 2013 @12:40PM (#5079859)
Please email me. (talithamichele at gmail dot com) It has been a long time since I read real estate books. I need to figure out how to buy a house cheap. I know it can be done but I don't know where to get the info I need.
Re:The Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by ipince on Friday January 18, 2013 @03:15PM (#5080736)
And myself too, please. It would find it extremely helpful. (Email in profile).