Jon made a good point that I left out by accident.

I'm not talking about unexpected problems--crap happens to everyone from time to time.

We moved four homes that day and was happy to hear about his accident later.

I own several SFHs in the lower end of the scale (20k-after-rehab-ish) and while those rent for 550$ on average, some months I may see 20% of that in net income, and most of the time like Jon side, when I get hit with something "unexpected" it may take a big chunk of the gross since while the house is cheap, maintenance costs are high in comparison.

When I mentioned that I would eventually move to rehabbing, he did go ahead and quote me for general liability based on rehabbing construction, as well as coverage for any possible accidents while showing a property.I am still in the process of creating an LLC through my attorney, and do plan to carry a decent policy once my agent figures out what to actually cover me for :D FWIW, I mentioned an umbrella policy to my agent since I have seen that tossed around here a bit, but he said umbrella policies are for individuals.

I have heard many be surprised by unexpected expense that could have been avoided, such as sewer repair costs.Also I think a lot of new investors are optimistic on:-holding costs (including interest, taxes, utilities, hoa dues etc.)

Keep $60 000 in a savings account to cover unexpected costs and expenses while you gain a little more experience about real estate investing.Secondly, try to purchase a fourplex in a "good" neighborhood for around $150 000.

:)Think automobile accident where the owner is at fault, leading to litigation ...

No matter how great the property manager is, if there is only one, a car accident, health problems, family emergencies, etc., doesn't just hurt them, but all their clients as well.

Be prepared for the unexpected.