Starting Out As a Landlord - Make Money and Avoid Common Pitfalls

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/FtnTs)
You can make gobs of money or you can lose your shirt in the rental market. Your dream -- and it's a fine one -- is to build real estate equity while your tenants pay the expenses on the property. Whether it's a single-family house, a multi-family unit, or just a room in your basement, you can make money from renting it out, if you take the time to learn the ropes and avoid the pitfalls of being a new landlord. The real estate rental market requires more than just buying a property and plopping a "For Rent" sign in the yard.