I arrived to this idea:  Apply for a home loan through a bank for the purchase of the house, and take out a business loan for the renovations.Would this be the best route to take for a newbie with no personal connections?

Much homework required before arriving at a good investment price for this one!

Second, "although it's not just $40, but $40 per adult" was not the issue, but rather, $40 multiplied by the number of applications needed to be made before they arrive at the top of a list - better odds than Lotto, but more expensive!

I get the same per month in cashflow but that doesn't count the large lump sum cheques that arrive here and there.Do you "live the dream" and travel/vacation year round, do you focus on building your empire to ever greater heights, or do you pursue some other passion?

When a deal arrives and I need to evaluate the rehab cost should I have a contractor and will he also know what need to be done to be in inspected?

I am using the BP rental property calculator to arrive at a purchase price that would work for me and my goals.

People start arriving around 6:00 and they talk before the meeting.  

@Chris B.Many Chinese buyers are investing in the US for the following main reasons:- Immigration- Education (every year 300,000 students from China are arriving in the US for studies)- Diversification/investmentsEach of the reasons above has been increasing significantly in numbers every year and we expect that this trend will continue.

It is an extremely time consuming experience with limited to no communication.Shaun Cohen has to chime in after 4 months of escalations and helped correct only 1 issues I had, 2 more are not solved to this day related to contracts and statement updates.I have not been refunded yet from any note as I reinvested the only one arrived to maturity.

@Peter Lohmann, that's all fine, but I reckon it's still a good idea to THEN convert the figure you arrive at into percentage of rent - just like every other expense, to gauge a specific "xx% rule"...