So in reality our MTR rent -- especially in the off season -- pretty much covers the utilities, furnishings deprecation, and another hundred bucks or so, at least in the off-season. 

But right now, it's pretty ugly.

Developing that trust with someone you don't know may seem like a challenge, but if you approach it correctly, you should be able to achieve a pretty solid foundation of trust.The best way is to talk to others who have had an experience investing with the sponsor already.

I felt like the owner gave me a pretty good deal and thought the stars would never align more then now. 

@Weronika Jedrak  I don't reach out to unmatched leads unless it is for dates and we are pretty close, others always do.

Conclusion was pretty obvious for me.Great point.

those are pretty broad questions. 

Now you might be like Joe, know rents for a couple of neighborhoods and can quickly estimate expected cash flow from properties pretty quickly (that's what I do as well) but you still need a screening rule so you invest minimal times on properties you will never put an offer in on. 

from what I understand you're not supposed to advertise any deals or promote yourself.There are definitely good to great deals though.

While it's definitely doable here, our market has gotten pretty competitive over the last few years.