Does not matter if its a 15 minute walk with the Dog or Spouse, a hardcore session in the gym, or a nice ride on one of those fancy peletons, get moving in the morning to set the tone for your day! 

Hi Berry and welcome to the ride.....don't worry about being 36, you have plenty of time :-)Just take it slow and smart, don't feel the need to rush....it will get you in trouble and now is the worst time to buy anyway (IMHO).

I think finishing a basement is an easy value add (assuming all the other factors make sense, location, ARV, etc. ) However, if you bought the new build at the price of a similar property with a basement already finished... not sure the equity will be there unless the appreciation/inflation ride goes on...

I know too many folks who have been taken for a ride by bad or unethical property managers, unfortunately ethics are a bit hard to quantify upfront. 

He's going to be taken for a ride.

Why are you even considering buying now when the market is topped out and on a crazy train ride?

Had I not been familiar with the job, I might have felt taken for a ride, but I knew the mechanic was right, and it would have taken me 2 days to do that job myself.

The huge government and university job base helps prevent the slides down while the tech, medical, and other industries provide the ride up.  

That policy rides on top of your individual policy limits.As far as what company is the cheapest, nobody can answer that because no national carrier is the cheapest in every market.

If you do a good job on fixing it up and find good renters you can ride it out.