NOTE: A lower OER indicates a more profitable property as a larger portion of the income is retained after covering operating costs.Hope that helps!

Quote from @Tika Sanyasi: @Aristotle Kumpis: I was thinking of being the landlord and managing myself but, was wondering if the distance is too much to cover to do that.

If you refinance the rental property, does the rent cover the expenses? 

These require a minimum of $300-$335k cash to cover the downpayment, closing costs, and having a healthy budget for professional design/amenities.Tier 2 range in price but most fall between $530k-$650k.  

So just curious if my number formula is correct $15k down plus $15k Reno = $30k rental income/year  $14500 vacancy rate 2% operating expensive 35% ( to cover condo fees maintenance insurance ect) $5500 a year mortgage so roughly a 12.25% cash on cash return ? 

I look at the overall picture as I am gaining another property with little to no difference in my monthly home costs.

It is always better to start with a multi-unit 2+ so that if something goes wrong, you still have one tenant to cover necessary expenses (mort, taxes, insur, etc).Also, major renovations are not a great idea for starting out as others said, especially out of state.

Borrower Types: The Professional - HM Lender will cut sweet-heart deals to keep these borrowers around Experienced real estate investors Regularly engage in property transactions Typically have a track record of successful projects The Newbie - Charge Higher everything as the risk is higher as no experience Novice investors or first-time borrowers Limited experience in real estate Seeking to build their investment portfolio The Deadbeat - Only lend if the deal is so SWEET, they can't lose if they take the property from the Borrower Borrowers with poor credit history or financial difficulties High-risk borrowers May struggle to secure traditional financingThe lender will do an application on the deal/borrower and some standard docs they require are:Hard Money Application / ExperiencePurchase contractARV report – COMPS – See * Redfin*Pictures of Property – most people use Dropbox to shareProof of Funds – Down / Reserves (Bank Statements)Personal identification (ID or passport)But usually if the deal is sweet enough, they will do it anyway because if the deal goes south, there is so much equity/value in the property that the HM lender can't lose.

Brick v.s siding and covered v.s no converted parking also make a large difference and are items that have to be adjusted for. 

Long-term investment should cover income shortfalls and consider alternative markets outside San Francisco or affordable markets like Texas, Ohio, or Arizona.