-Underestimating the significance of properly setup utilities in a cold climate: Buying a rental building which has owner paid utilities or even a building which has tenant paid heat but is so inefficient it costs almost as much as rent to heat the house/ The tenant will pay the heating bill way before rent.

I had been looking for 5 months and was beginning to think that perhaps my offers were unreasonable for the current market climate - we had very strict parameters however that we could not really stray from , as it is important to us to be able to provide housing my parent in laws , and we will also be occupying a unit ourselves.

We actually shared an article on the topic last week on the BiggerPockets Blog:How Picking Rental Markets Based on Climate Can Make You More Money

Push comes to shove something will be done to eventually turn it around.I doubt the manufacturing sector will return but they will probably be able to attract other industries if they create a climate that encourages business development.It may be 5 - 10years before real change happens though.

I wouldn't qualify for a hml right now in today's lending climate, which is why I'm focused on wholesaling presently, so I wouldn't be approaching them for myself.

Hopefully Q4 of 2010 is a lead-in to the same climate for 2011!

In cold climates freeze damage is a big concern as the properties have almost always been vacant at least through one winter.

You may not have to worry about this much since you are in Atlanta, but if you are in a climate where it gets real cold during the winter, the siding will contract.

I have seen heat pumps work well for milder climates but have not done well for very cold winters.

My units don't have mold problems, and to avoid them, the tenants are informed via the lease, and our move in process.That said, it seems like Atalia's problem is related to leaks, not climate, and knowing about the leaks, her landlord is on the hook.