If you ask the manager to justify a fee and he starts hemming and hawing, move on or require them to remove the fee.

I'd take care to remove valuables just in case.Call the listing agent (and their broker) and let them know that you need 24 hours' notice for any showings and the people must be accompanied-not left alone.

My first thought was an extensive TI package that was effectively financed into the rent.   

Connecting with contractors, property managers, and other investors has been invaluable in helping me learn from their experiences and navigate challenges more effectively.

I intend to pay all cash, thereby removing the requirement for flood insurance. 

The key is to be detailed and consistent in your logging.For our clients, we provide a custom spreadsheet to help track activities more effectively.

Jack hammer, remove, pour new floor.

If you use any of the major mailhouse services, like Yellow Letter HQ (a service I can personally vouch for), they offer a variety of templates and even provide text suggestions.A smart way to analyze this strategy is by observing people in your local market who use mailers and identifying what works or doesn’t work for them.The simplest and most effective way to test this approach is to pull a hyper-targeted list of distressed homeowners and run a small-budget mailer campaign.Hope this helps!

The number one benefit for a high income earner that invests in long-term investments is that the depreciation will shield your rental income from your effective tax rate.if you are a high income earner, you are likely around the 35% federal tax bracket and another 5-10% tax bracket if you are in a state with a taxInterest income will be taxed at potentially 45% + 3.8% net investment income taxDividend income will be taxed at potentially 30% + 3.8% net investment income taxRental income potentially at 0%I think a lot of people get disappointed that their tax burden doesn't decrease.It can potentially decrease but it will require proper planning along with some level of participation with the real estate.

We rent single family homes, so we have a conversation about yard maintenance, snow removal etc - have you don't this before, do you have the tools etcI also bring up house cleaning questions, by telling them we had a tenant who did not own a vacuum cleaner, did not know how to run a dishwasher, had a mess in the basement etc - and then see how they respond.That is a non-offensive way to talk about house cleaning and you'd be surprised how different the responses are.