While it can feel like a hassle, these inspections help prevent bigger (and costlier) problems down the line.

Quote from @Serena Lemmons: Hi All, I have been researching real estate investing for a while and feel like the next step is to meet some investors in the area that I can learn from.

  $6.25k feels manageable, so I compared the rent vs purchase numbers.  

Amortize your major repairs (roof, hvac, built in appliances) and add an estimate for small maintenance.This feels not terrible to me.

Would love to talk more - feel free to shoot me a PM

The problem (as you have cited) is trying to understand what you need (you don't know what you don't know), where to get it, qualifying its source(s), and the validity and usefulness of all that.Pardon me if I've gone into this too much, but I meet many people with the same concerns that you are voicing and this is offered, as much as possible in direct response to your post.Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or questions. 

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at first, but just take it one step at a time.

Quote from @Zach Howard: First of all, feel free to make any and all comments you wish; there's no need to sugarcoat anything.

Maybe it’s making the world a better place, maybe he feels responsible for all the employees who have jobs that make their dreams and hopes come true?

If you don't want to be as aggressive you can pay just want your PMI payment was towards your HELOC and still save quite a bit on what many feel is wasted money for the mortgage payer.