They can't have the cake and eat it too.

Hi, Chris - we invest primarily in Japan, where condos are the norm for rentals in the vast majority of cases - I think the comments regarding the capital gain being diminished in comparison with more landed properties is quite correct - we focus on monthly cashflow as a main goal, however, with growth being the icing on the cake, if any - and for reliable, high return, we found condos to be the best investment possible for our environment - as long as the appropriate DD is performed, of course.

Joseph RobersonBuy and Hold is an excellent strategy, as it eliminates selling transaction costs which are relatively high, consider commission, transfer tax, selling help etc. which can total maybe 13% or so of the selling price not counting Federal and State income taxes.Number 1 evaluator for buy and hold is that it muct be positive cash flow, if not posiitve forget about it.Forget about appreciation, if it comes its all good, but if it doesn't with positive cash flow you're still good.Market fluctuations, buyers market, sellers market all really don't matter if you are buy and hold and not selling.And tax advantages are the icing on the cake, figure on positive cash flow BEFORE tax advantages not after.I like 30 year fixed mortgages for rental properties, and borrowing as much as you can for as long as you can, to reduce the monthly payments.Besides my book, the two best books are:William Nickerson "How I Turned $1,000 into Five Million In Real Estate"and David Schumacher "Buy and Hold"

If you had expanded, had a wide range of products, deversified so that economic influences like the cost of grease had little effect on your entire inventory, offered wedding cakes, sweet rolls and long johns you may still be in business.

I cant quantify what your vacancy ratio is on a home with a one car vs 2 car because I do agree with above post that homes with 2 car garages rent like hot cakes.

I was always under the impression that for most deals, you can't have your cake and eat it to.

I talked to a few neighbors who pay $1130, have been there for 4 years and absolutely love it.It is on the market for 60K - previously sold for 170 (as did most others at the peak)20% down - 12kRentals are 1000-1150 for the same type unit.HOA is 235/mo - lawn and trash included(Complex has brand new roof)most likely a 15yr mortgage ~4.25%1100/yr taxesThe HOA is steep but it still looks attractive and would be a piece of cake to rent.

What a day, elected a Pope, BP Blogs is 8 and had cake and icecream :)

He was a nice guy and I wouldn't let 9k let the deal slip away from meI put in $0 in improvements as the home is only 4 years old and amazing in every way I could ever want.But I did invest 170K plus CC and own 20%I ended up renting it out for $4600 to an exec at a large corp in the area with a 3 year lease (great for me as I may want to move there in 7-10 years) , my PITI payment is around $3750.So after some other minor expenses, I'm cash positive but my ROI will be low and slow and instead of appreciation being icing on the cake, it's really the cake, period.What should I do different if buying a SFH again, Ive learned about the 2%, 50% and 70% rule too late, but it doesn't change how much I love the house which I will eventually move into.FWIW, my income is such that 1K or so in cash flow a month is negligible and but 3K-8K more per month when I retire will be great.

Now I know this is not going to be a cake walk, but I have always been a hard worker.