None of this is very expensive to install, but you need internet access to monitor so there is a recurring expense.

For our first deal I just scoured the internet, found the lowest rate out there, and got a conventional mortgage.

Give me a few months ;) I think it goes without saying that negative comments on an internet forum would be the least of the challenges that I or anyone else will face.  

@Dennis Johnson- I've paid for various guru courses and coaching programs and here's the benefits that I've experienced:Specialized knowledge from people that have achieved a status that I aspire to be at (as opposed to taking all types of info from random people on the internet). 

@Justin MurrayWelcome to BP, this is the best place to learn on the internet about real estate investing for free.

I don't do this "for a living" (I'm a Director of Technical Quality Assurance, for the record) and I don't know what I am within my rights to ask or demand of these guys.Reading the internet is a scary thing...

One of the call center people at one of the big internet lenders you're familiar with quoted a rate shopper with <700 FICO 3.75% at no points the other day.

Only talk to a Known lender in your market that you can verify not someone off the internet.

In other words, my income on my pay stub is not a whole lot, but the total value of the room and board (I pay for nothing else out of pocket - gas for my car, utilities, internet, groceries, and so on) is valued at much more.

But that sort of information is free, all over the internet, and especially here on BP.