If you can't manage what you currently have, you won't manage additional income from investments.

If the water bill is $100 a month, increase the price by 20% (or whatever you decide is fair) to compensate you for the time required to split and bill and to cover additional use when tenants squander the utility.

Down payment should be about the same (20% on a buy-and-hold) but you'll see an additional $3-$6k on average in CC and the ability to keep it off of your DTI/Personal credit along with hopefully no more hard inquiries on your credit (many lenders will accept/perform a soft pull).

Quote from @Kyle Schachsieck: Thank you all for the information and additional resources!

If so that's a big additional risk for the buyer.

@Gash Nookala,Renting can indeed be slower in winter, but here are some tips to boost interest:Enhance Listing: Ensure your listing has detailed descriptions and high-quality photos—consider professional photography if needed.Competitive Pricing: Double-check local comps; even a slight price adjustment or incentives (like a reduced deposit) could attract more interest.Broaden Marketing: Beyond Zillow, Hemlane, and MLS, use social media, community boards, and local business connections to reach a wider audience.Flexible Lease Terms: Offering shorter or month-to-month leases might appeal to tenants during this slower season.Local Property Manager: A local pro can tap into their network and help fill the vacancy faster.These steps should help you find a tenant despite the seasonal slowdown.

It seems like there are additional obstacles to success for me since I'll have to do pretty much everything remotely, but an expression that I like, and I'm paraphrasing here, "If the path you're on seems easy, you're on the wrong path"Would love any and all advice, guidance, comments, warnings or whatever else you'd like to share.

In addition, I would give the tenant information about the local place that handles rental assistance programs.

It's like when you're running a business - you sometimes learn way more from dissatisfied customers and their complaints, so, please, don't stop there, if you have more to add, add it!

Any business could do this with their services and the savings would certainly justify the additional effort.But if you take advantage of the new law, wouldn't the renter do the same?