investors can figure on 10 to 12% return on PMLs   generally they are short term 6 months to 18 months.. in my 40 plus years at PML I find most investors started as landlords then tire of it and start to diversify.

How many mortgage lenders have you spoken with to get qualified and discuss allowable down payment options?

If you are going to have a company manage your property, I would recommend you find someone that is local. 

Here’s the situation:Purchase Price: $540,000Down Payment: 20%Mortgage Rate: 7.125% (30-year fixed)Monthly Expenses (Mortgage, HOA, Taxes, Insurance): $3,706Realistic Max Rent: $3,000As you can see, I’m currently short $706/month even with max rent.

Have enough that after you buy the property you still have 6 months of expenses in reserves that you can use for daily living.

Based on what my real estate agent thinks that this quote will be, roughly, and the after repair value, it looks like I could buy this property in cash, spend a month or two fixing the damage, and then put a mortgage for roughly 1.6x what I paid for it and thus have a cash flowing property at a few hundred dollars per month and a little more money in my bank account ready for a down payment on the next deal.

Come up with terms (Down Payment, Interest Rate, and Amortization Schedule) such as a 5% Down Payment, a 6% Interest Rate, and 30 Year Amortization Schedule.

He had already been working with another agent for some time, but he was willing to give me a shot.Over the next few months I earned the spot as his go-to agent, selling him one or two homes a month and helping him find tenants after the renovations were complete.

Upfront expenses and monthly payments must be considered when calculating the return on your investment.EXAMPLEYou cash out $100,000 of your equity and use this as a down payment on a $400,000 investment property.

A general range tends to be 85% to 100% covered.