In these cases, maintenance and capex come out of the investor's pocket funded by their day jobs.

To make the job flow easier, but also (mainly) to protect myself if a customer changed their mind later ( which was common).

You have a great job that pays well. 2.

Create a realistic pro forma profit and loss statement to determine if this business has the potential to pay any more than you could make working a “no risk” job. 6.

We fee like a conservative approach will let us go through the growing pains of better understanding real estate investing without the worry of being over leveraged to add to the stress while we are both still employed full time in our careers and do not plan on quitting our jobs to go fully into real estate. 

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

For LTRs, prioritize markets with population growth and strong job markets.Wherever you choose, work with an investor-friendly agent who knows the local market and can help you analyze deals.

By the time the cranky Building Inspector shuts down the job to the time the HCD sides with the owner, it could be weeks.

When you work a 9-5 job, you typically rely on colleagues assigned to you.As an investor, you have the OPPORTUNITY to assemble your dream team of professionals who share your ambition and can help you achieve your financial goals.

The macroeconomics here is booming - the tech sector growth keeps the population and job market growing and rental demand strong.