I don't know that I have added value outside of the full renovation that we are undertaking.

I understand it can feel like a large undertaking with even 3.5%-5% downpayment here in California but it will pay off in the long run!

You need an exit strategy before you undertake this.

Get some people with experience into your building to give you advice, might cost you some extra $$$ up front but I think it's worth it if you're undertaking a big project.

Last year, we had the house completely repainted, inside and outside, We had about half the siding on the house, which was rotten, replaced, redid the front porch, we replaced double exterior doors, got a lot of new furniture, redecorated all the walls, got a few new TV's, replaced an oven, blew insulation, had service work on the plumbing and the heat and air, and a lot of other things I can't even remember at the moment.

From what you describe I would start at $80-100k and work up from there, that is a massive undertaking.

If you don't have that professional full time sales or marketing experience, and you will be "cutting your teeth" with this undertaking to try to be one of that 20%, I'd suggest buying 3 or 7 books on sales or marketing, and reading them all. $200 in books to make sure you aren't wasting $5000 of direct mail marketing dollars seems like a prudent choice, and even if all of your real estate undertaking still fail, at least you will be better prepared the next time to ask for a pay raise or prepare for a job hunt.

I’ve got a few questions related to a real estate project I’m undertaking over the next few months, and thought there may be some people on the BP forums who’ve either had experience with similar projects, or might have general thoughts and recommendations they’d be willing to share for my situation.

This can provide additional liquidity for purchasing new equipment, new technology or undertaking new essential projects.Here are three examples of companies that benefited from R&D tax credits.Florida Specialty ManufacturerSaved nearly $100,000 in taxes.

Also in those towns it will definitely be harder to get real estate agents and contractors that speak English.That being said don't let it discourage you, you might be able to form a very good team there and there is a lot of opportunities where you can get very good returns in other areas, inclusively greater Lisbon, greater Porto and Algarve where it will be much easier to find English speaking professionals, plus interest rates are really low, to give you an idea I've recently done a mortgage for primary residence, 85% LTV, at 1.2% flat interest rate for 30 years.At the end it will depend on your profile as an investor and what you are looking for in terms of being turnkey or how much renovation/construction work you are willing to undertake and how management intensive you want it to be.Hope this answers your question, feel free to ask any other questions, as always, I will try to answer as best as I can!