I ran into a potential purchase my good friend is selling me at 260k and valued at 360k.  

I have experimented with a red "confidential" stamp.  

RED MORGANThe returns are a lot lower there than they used to be, and there are just a lot of other markets with higher returns.

I'm okay with it not being positive cashflow immediately but, I am also trying to keep my monthly payments down as much as possible.The main reason I'm moving to NJ is because finding multi family units there is actually affordable to me, rather than NY which is out of reach for me at the moment.

yeah i agree with stephen l, you don't need a lawyer to file for LLC here in the red stick, i had to send $100 filing fee to have paperwork registered with sec of state web address to file online is sos.la.gov just type it just like that, i also had my bank file for my EIN when i applied for a line of credit application just have to talk to your local bank that you deal with real nice and they will work with you, the 1 i deal with is capital 1!

Put yourself in the sellers shoes look at your offer and think, how easy is this offer going to be for me. At

I'll make a list of expenses I think I will encounter.Purchase - 65000Rent-  650Taxes monthly - 105Insurance monthly- 62Vacancy 5% - 32Repair 5% - 32Mortgage - 278All that puts me at 509 expenses versus 650 rent to be at 141 cash flow monthly.I have calculated the CoCR a couple different ways because I am certain that the house is rent ready now but I also figured it with some rehab expenses just in case I find something.141x12= 16921692/16000(down payment plus closing)= 10.5% CoCR1692/18000(down payment, closing, and 2k rehab) = 9.4%Like I said before 650 seems like the safe route for potential rent.

I also wonder if there are sellers out there that still sell on actuals and leave proverbial meat on the bone for the next guy. 

That is a red flag and in a down market could be a big issue.

Lessons learned:1)Fire a non performing PM early and often ... they NEVER get better.2)Don't buy out of state where you can't verify issues & solutions or easily take control to straighten out a mess if need be.3)Repeated visits for what seems like the same or similar issue are a red flag which should NOT be ignored.4)Use licensed, bonded electricians who pull permits.5)Trust but verify.6)Be careful about who even bids your jobs.