Step 2 is to then determine the market trend for the area for which there are two critical pieces: 1) is the average price increasing AND 2) is the volume of sales increasing. If both are moving in your favor, then you have the comfort of knowing that the right trend is in place to keep prices moving forward. In stock market investing, there is the saying that the trend is your friend and traders frequently observe price and volume data to confirm the trend. If a hotly priced real estate market shows signs of dropping in volume, be very careful.
Build a stock market portfolio that will provide you a dividend check every week of the year. All it takes is twelve companies that pay a dividend. Twelve companies to receive dividend checks every week of the year, for the rest of your life. Whether you find that goal worth the effort, bare in mind the only thing that comes without effort is old age.
Your initial planning is the key. The number of hours you can spend, getting your identity package done, setting up your office, making the contacts, making your calls, and setting your goals (both short term and long term). In effect, getting your ducks in order, being sure all your P&Q's are taken care of, and then just getting started.