Plus, Zillow, Rentler and the other real estate platforms tend to have all sorts of unnecessary hoops to jump through for landlords, and I find a lot of their design very un-intuitive (I remember spending waaayyy too much time just trying to figure out simple things in Rentler).  ...why can't they make it easier?

If its short term lower occupancy go for a smaller machine if it is larger occupancy you want a big machine.

You cannot use rental income above your mortgage payment to help qualify for a larger mortgage, but you can utilize 100% of the lease income to offset so that should help you qualify for more of a mortgage. 

What sort of debt does it have. 

If it's a larger organization, feel free to inquire about their different staff qualifications.2.

The first being - don't bring your friends or family into the mix :)Since it sounds like you're pretty solidified in your friend moving in, and it could be a good first roomie, so just to get your feet wet... i'll double down on Laura's advice - do a lease, for the legalities, but i also highly recommend some sort of written (we call it a) Room Mate Agreement.

This sort of deal could go south very easily and for that reason I stayed away.What would you do? 

However, if the engineer is assuming a larger role (for example, project management, approvals, etc.), the 33% could be justified.

And sort them for the most recent reviews. 

Quote from @Nik Farooqui: Hello All-My name is Nik and I am sort of making a comeback to real estate investing.