What do these even entail & what are your qualifications?

How are you getting along in your preparation for the upcoming PG County tax sale?

There is more to that argument, but this is something you really need to prepare for and consider well in advance of your decision to invest.  

I've already done quite a bit of research in my area and can already pretty much tell you what a property is worth or at least generally what it will sell for as I spend about 3 hours a day looking at properties and have been doing that for about a year to make sure I'm prepared on the accuracy side of things.I do have a family member that is a real estate agent in the area, but I'm not sure if a standard single family residential agent is the correct connection for multifamily.

Tax preparers usually charge another $500 to prepare the 3115 calculation schedules per property so that saves you money.

Yes, real estate entails some cost, but also provides greater returns at lower levels of risk in exchange for these costs.

So just be mentally and financially prepared.

Yes, understood - we're preparing for when/if that distressed opportunity does occur (2024-2026). 

That may also give them some time to make repairs, upgrades, or setting up new marketing efforts to prepare for the next busy season.

If, while running your numbers, the returns are within range to your criteria, do not lower the expenses to "make it work", but just know that some months may be higher, some may be lower, and if you have the cash reserves to support a higher bill or unexpected repair, then the underwriting at least helps you mentally prepare ahead of time.Any calculator, based on the inputs from any noobie or seasoned professional, will NEVER be the same as your actual numbers.