Our second triplex we bought fully rented (after the rehab the rented it) so had CF from Day 1 and luckily 2 of the 3 tenants renewed.We hire out snow removal but do our own lawn care so in summer I we spend 1 day a month at the property mowing the lawn.

I'd grab that Section 8 tenant ASAP.The deal looks solid.Did you account for at least $150/month (my number) for maintenance, basic operations (lawns and snow) and big ticket repairs?

Lawn care?

@Tim Hoffman , My definition of "A" is very little if any crime, no vandalism, people pay their bills, working class, little to no section 8 around, people mow their lawn etc...

Will of course ensure that this and other aspects like lawn cutting etc are included as tenant responsibilities in the rental agreement.

ALSO - maybe the landlord pays all utilities, which puts the rents artificially higher than market (are the rents at typical market?)

Lawn Care / Snow Removal3.

Along with the BPO you can take a peek at it on zillow/trulia/etc and see what the house looks like (google maps street view is great), as well as what the other houses in the neighborhood are listed for.You can quickly figure out if it's a nice neighborhood with manicured lawns or if it's a junkyard.

There are no gangs hanging on the street corner or people sitting on couches on their lawn, no trash anywhere.

Hi, I'm a new investor and still gathering info before getting my feet wet.my goal is to generate a positive cashflow, while hoping that the property also increase in value (not a big jump, but at least on par with inflation).from the get go,my mind was set on a single family home or a duplex.. until recently someone mention that a condo might be a better investment for greater positive cashflow.With condo, there's a condo fee but the price will be lower, and I don't have to maintain any lawn or replace a roof..I'm trying to figure out if Condo is the way to go.here's my current analysis of a Single home vs Condo:Single home: Price $160K, tax 3600, ins 700. 20% down at 4.25% interest. it can be rented out for 1500/monthCondo: Price $45K, tax 1800, ins 350. will buy in cash. can be rented 500-600/month.