@Susan Pompea I can totally understand that you are gun shy after evicting someone who has wrecked your place.

I have had some properties in the past but they were to live in.A car wreck a few years ago made me disabled and now I collect a SSDI income.  

Hello I am trying to buy two rental properties in Baton Rouge area(currently living in DFW area) end of this year and this whole process is going to be little bit challenging and nerve-wrecking. 

Yes, and your car WILL get wrecked, its just a matter of time. 

It is sad to see another example of someone getting over-leveraged into a liability they cannot afford - like watching a car wreck before it happens. 

Of course, the catch is that everyone always thinks that they are an above average investor, just as everyone thinks that they are an above average driver, even though this is a statistical impossibility ... but the wrecks involved in thinking you are an above average investor when you are not are far more catastrophic than they are with driving ... 

I agree, I see the train wreck coming.

So, if you need every last dime back that you put in, then this strategy will make you a nervous wreck. 

I attribute my long length of experience at giving me a good foundation to work from when I wanted to buy and hold, since I generally buy wrecks and turn them into something nice. 

They are cheap enough to be disposable after a tenant wrecks one.