Purchase price: $275,000 Cash invested: $45,000 Sale price: $400,000 Contributors: Adam Schooley This townhouse, which had gone through probate, suffered from significant water damage to the drywall and required updates throughout.

You could force the seller to bring it up to code before the sale is complete as one of the contingencies of buying it, let them deal with it.

3) Your $250k with 30% down => about $750k (you also need funds for closing costs, taxes, etc.)

Build a solid foundation before taking a step up - each and every step of the way.There’s a way to scale recklessly and there is a way to scale safely.When OPM is involved safe is way better than reckless.Despite a life long career in RE, I scaled as followsBought a few duplexes for my own accountBought a fourplex for my own accountBought 12 units as a JV with some friendsSyndicated 43 unitsSyndicated 30 unitsBought another 12 units as a JVSyndicated 281 unitsThis was over a 3 or 4 year period.and so forth - now I am GP in close to 1000 units with $125M AUM.Even with all that, my sweet spot is 30 to 50 unit properties - they work best for my partners and I and more importantly our investors. 

If you’re paying off more than $1,500/mo I’d probably keep it barring any major upcoming capex. (3-5 years out so buyer wouldn’t automatically ask for it to be repaired at sale.)Good luck either way. 

Usually the numbers don't work to build in these neighborhoods, unless government tax credits, etc.CCLBA has really cheap parcels for sale for owner occupants.

When I buy an occupied property, I introduce myself to the tenants on the day of closing; then, I inspect every unit within one week.

He markets himself to no end and I see more stuff from him than anyone else, but he is one giant sales pitch. 

I recently came across 1 acre asking for 314k in a very good residential and growing location, so the current owner has added 4 manufactured homes with 4 electrical meters, 4 septic tanks and only 1 water meter for all 4 homes, the homes are sitting on partial slab and partial pier & beam, he also added 2 storage sheds approx. 380sqft with the intention to make them ADUs they are still only the shell so I would have to get those ready to live in, so currently the 4 manufactured homes are being rented and bringing in 2800k a month, 3 of the homes are needing some TLC which could increment rents and possibly get me at 3600k a month, also being a 1ac lot this still leaves about 12,000sqft of raw land where you could build etc.So that is on the good side now the things I did not like so much, the lay out is poorly executed to where it makes it looked crammed up and not professional but it could be fixed.Another is that in reality there is only 4 livable units so that qualifies under a conventional loan but since they're are 6 units on the property the banks are wanting to take it as a commercial so we would have to move out the 2 storage sheds out in order to close as conventional.Another concern, technically you are only allowed to have one manufactured house or single wide in your property according to what I know but I know it could change according to zoning which I will investigate, so my question is has all this been accounted for and if so how can I verify it so it wont leave me in a bind further down the road, I currently asked my agent for the appraisal of the property to see if that might verify.Any recommendations?

The bank I work at would require the property to be close by.