Of course, if you can find a property where you can add a 2nd bathroom or maybe a half, you'd be better off in the random case of a toilet clog.

(half of 44k income is 22k, less the 22k mortgage = zero)I admit this is oversimplified, but I think I'm in the ballpark, right?

Buying the right property type, location and price are half of the equation.

After that, I'm told that The closing must be attended in person, so I guess you'd  better sign a power of attorney over to a family member or friend you trust or,  get your frequent flyer miles up.

Fast forward 2-3 years, about half of the properties I sold have come back around with the new owners trying to get out of them, some to no avail.Having said that, even though brokers looked at me like I had two heads when I told them we were underwriting an agency execution, someone besides myself must have been using agency debt because agency volume hit caps every year during that period.  

I'm guessing it's 2 square miles in area. 

The 5 house package , I will show 5 houses within a 30 mile radius ( extrs $2 a mile past that ) submit up to 3 contracts .

You can always check for comps within 0.5 miles and see how much the properties in the area are going for to guide you in your offer price.

I am now paying about half of what I was a year ago, generally about 0.75% of value per year and that STR compliant hazard w/ wind insurance. 

If most houses sell for $1m, and the high end for certain properties is $2.5m....I don't think I'd waste my time with a seller who wants half a million dollars more than the highest properties in the area.