I'm with you that sidewalk slip and fall litigation may be less likely in the Midwest than say Mid Atlantic which tends to have more litigious cities but dismissing premises liability issues can come back to bite an investor and when these properties have such razor thin margins that an investor must consider the cost benefit analysis of safety against ROI, there is a real estate issue and is usually a losing proposition.   

Given that the property was worth $390K in its current condition, I saw an opportunity to make the numbers work while keeping my upfront costs low.Instead of increasing my cash offer, I negotiated a $25K down payment with the seller carrying the balance for two years through owner financing.

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620 (approaching 22% probability of default), many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.

Insurance-  replacement costs.  

If any costs go up, developer eats it.

Works best if you trust the flipper.Wrap + Second Position Combo: This is a cool little move—you work out a wrap-around mortgage with the seller, then assign that contract to your borrower, and still lend in a second position for repairs or closing costs.

Most of my experience lies in the longterm rental property world, but we just picked up a short-term rental in Vermont and are going through the process of getting it ready to go.The property cost about $415k, and my insurance quote for homeowners + liability was about $4k, which seemed high to me.Obviously insurance quotes vary greatly by policy, but wanted to get a sense as to what others were paying and what provider they used.I am used to long-term rental policies, which seem to be less expensive.Thanks in advance!

Finding deals outside of California can definitely open up new opportunities, especially given the cost of living and market dynamics in the state.When looking for properties in other states, consider focusing on areas with strong rental demand, economic growth, and population increase.

Extra 4 months of carrying costs are up most of the margin.

More work, more time but you can take advantage of a nice cost segregation / bonus depreciationThis is the truth!