By no means cheap but solid rent + demand, fun place to live, decent inventory (relatively speaking), and is still commutable to the city. 

Ensuring compatibility among tenants, setting clear rules, and having a solid management plan can help mitigate conflicts and turnover.

I'm rooting for you, and for your project to have success!

RI or NH seem like solid options these days as a Boston alternative.

Hey John, if your priority is security paying off the mortgage in 5-6 years would give you a solid $4K/month net.Alternatively, you could use the HELOC to acquire a few rentals, likely in out of state cash flow markets with strong price to rent ratio.

If house-hacking is out of the question/you already own a primary at the very least, then that sounds like a pretty solid option/interest rate (although I might be able to beat that...).

Simple, there is only one way to do this....First you need to get a solid ARV number.

It's just unfortunate you were not notified to get the plumbers out sooner or the PM did not communicate not to leave the faucets off but ultimately if they were left off you likely would have had pressure built up and pipes burst (especially if they lines weren't all PEX) so the root issue of not having heating water lines still was the issue.

I would make sure your numbers are solid and that the deal would make sense and is lucrative for the investor. 

If everything checks out, they could be a solid option for your first investment deal.