This will guide your deal criteria.

The reason I ask is that I'm sure there are other markets, like Pittsburgh, that are close enough that you could do a quick weekend trip to check in but are more financially advantageous.

. 😜2) Courtesy of your state government: A Practical Guide for Tenants & Landlords - Michigan Legislature

No only do I not charge I go to the market on my own dime.. lots of folks in my situation would be charging the client up front for Due diligence trips.. etc etc.. by me paying for all my own expenses I am also not obligated to do any business with folks I may not wish to run this program with.

I have to screen (chat with them) every new guest to make sure they have good reviews and the real purpose of their trip.

After a thorough review of systems, we had plumbers troubleshoot and repair/replace a couple of small chronic bathroom leak issues, and electricians installed a number of end-runs back to the panels so that rooms could each have window A/Cs running without tripping circuits and other such issue.

Start by reading the Ultimate Real Estate Investing Guide: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides/ultimate-real-estate-investing-guide/introduction2.

BP-Published DSCR Guide!

If they say no, we ask why, and occasionally, we can sway them if there had been a misunderstanding—for example, a lingering maintenance issue that hasn’t been addressed and they didn’t bother to call about.We don’t have time for a deep dive on lease renewals, but it’s definitely worth picking up a copy of Jeffrey Taylor’s The Landlord’s Survival Guide, which has all sorts of tips on getting tenants to renew.

See the PHA HQS Inspection Resource Guide for all the details.