In some areas, we board up the 1st floor windows until we are about to start marketing the property.

And there are certainly large margins to be made.. the big builders in many markets want lots in real time they look for middle men to bring them to them.. in our Market here in PDX where they are located there are a few of them..

But to date, I've just set my rents at a rate that accounts for me having to pay the water bill - and informed the residents that each year I'll increase the rent based upon my expenses (including water), so keeping the bill down helps me to help them.But one problem this could cause is if increasing the rent to cover the water bill then places your rent above the market rate.

Rental income is considered passive, while stock market capital gains are portfolio income, meaning passive losses from rentals can only offset other passive income, not capital gains.

We weren't super happy with anything we were seeing on the market, so my husband and I had just started writing letters and looking off-market... until we saw this property.It'd been sitting on the market for months.

Since you're focusing on Dayton and Cincinnati, you'll find plenty of opportunities in those markets.

I totally agree with having to act quick, especially in competitive markets. 

We are Canadian in invest in the US.We work in the Detroit market where we have a great team on the ground and are finding exceptional deals.

I've also loved learning about the other 10 markets we operate in.I have two big goals.

Quote from @Lee Banks: Hi my name is Lee I'm looking too buy my first rental property and but I feel as if I need a mentor to watch, I still need to learn the basics of real-estate does anyone in New York do programs or mentorships and where would you start if you first started real-estate today  Hello Lee,I'd recommend looking up local meetups here on BP, meetup.com and, eventbrite.You can also call around to speak with RE investors and professionals in your target market to begin making connections.With so much available information online, I'd recommend speaking to a few people and doing independent research before committing to mentorships.