I've never done anything more than just put in a bar, usually chrome steel works well for such a wide span.

I recommend archived files be moved to a different storage location, such as burning them to a DVD or zipping them up and placing them in a cloud storage location different than your main folders. 

If the house burns to the ground you need to be a "named insured" on the insurance policy. 

My investment property had a fire and burned down... 

I picked up about 20 units the other winter back, and burned through $200,000 in repairs quicker than you could write a check, and I have my own rehab crews that work full-time at this game.

If you went the VA loan route and it's in a good location with strong rental characteristics, you may decide that you're willing to cover a couple hundred bucks out of pocket each month because you didn't have to put 20% down.If it's burning through a lot of cash each month that you can't cover out of your budget or other rentals, you'll have to look at how much equity you have, what you could sell the property for, and what you'd clear after expenses and fees. 

1) I want to learn all I can about REI because I want to make a career out of it without losing my shirt.2) I won't have much cash to actually invest until I have sold my property in CA and I need to finish the reno before I can list it.3) I used to be an attorney and I saw plenty of clients get burned for trusting the wrong person/people.

@Grant RothenburgerBoth are W2 jobs surprisingly.My concern is the $ for a downpayment for sure, I'll burn the bridge of obtaining a mortgage once I get there.I realize taking 2 weeks off every 5 months severely hinders my growth within a company but at this point in my life I don't want to let go of the relationship (Ask me again in a few years :p).

JD Martin you are right, my guess is they are only out a couple of thousand dollars between EMD and other fees, but for newbies who are just dipping in, the loss is a burn.

If you had $2 million burning a hole in your pocket, a good deal would look a lot differently, right?