This is the breakdown:2 tenants on month to month leases ~$250-$350 less than market1 long term tenant (15yrs) is now on month to month lease and is paying $1500 less than marketAfter consulting with a couple of people and doing some research, it sounds like anything over a I should apply banking rent raise and submit a 60 day notice (all of these units fall into that category).

I'm also in Buffalo and have a couple properties that used to have additional structures on them.

Went well, there were a couple hiccups but they worked hard to overcome them and it turned out alright. 

My girlfriend and I are newbies in the RE investing world, and would love to build a network with like minded couples!

With $170k to deploy you most likely will have that all in one, maybe two deals, if it doesn’t go well you could end up way worse off.That said, if there are other factors like the property is a huge pain to manage or you are worried the neighborhood may actually get worse or you know you need a new roof in a couple years, then I’d consider selling.Also, even though you said it’s not a high appreciating area, do you think 1-2% is fair?

Also, brand suggestions for quality?

I think this is generally a good post but, a couple of subjects warrant comment (opinion...which yes, I know how valuable anyone's opinion may or may not be).* In my world (Bank) a "Foreclosure" is a property/loan that has a filed notice (Often referred to as first legal) that a foreclosure has commenced and is somewhere in the foreclosure process between first legal and sale (or post sale redemption).

If you are brand new, drive around and make notes of just a few properties that might be looking to sell based on their upkeep.

I also don't understand why you would want to tie up your cash so long without the benefits of owning the properties.The scenario of you buying a few now and the rest in a couple years seems to be the most appealing for you both, why are you adverse to that?

They stay for a couple months without paying because they literally can’t pay.