You will never time the market perfect so just look at large time spans such as 10 years.Goodluck...

Then I would utilize these tools of knowledge over the span of a year which would leave me another year of implementing my new found knowledge and flipping one or two houses depending on how long the first one takes.

I also look at average life spans of roofs, HVAC systems, kitchen cabinets, etc. and basically plot out (based on age) an educated guess as to when that expense will come due.

Realistically, how much would you say one spends in a 6-8 month span in real estate?

.- $110/mo (8%) PM- $70/mo insurance (just hazard, no flood ins)- $75/mo turnover allowance (1 month rent to PM to place new tenant every 2 years plus $500 every 2 years to get the place cleaned up for new tenants)- $75/mo maintenance allowance- $75/mo capital allowance ($900/yr, or $27k in today's money over a 30 year span)- $50/mo misc (usually like a $25/mo HOA for the subdivision, plus accounting for other misc things like lawn maintenance when the place is vacant).Total:- Gross Revenue: ~$15,400/yr- Average Expenses: ~$8,800/yr (57%)- NOI: ~$6,600/yrThe off-market price for this sort of house that I'm seeing from wholesalers is maybe 110k purchase + rehab cost if you're super lucky, which after a 75% LTV debt service at 5%, is pretty much within noise of no cash return, and yet these deals are getting snatched up immediately.  

My experience with college students is minimal, I've had maybe three student tenants from now and then on a one bedroom apartment on a span of 6 years.  

I ran a Cincinnati property through their calculator and came up with this:You pay $87,300 for the roof and battery, then save $69,100 over the life-span of 30 years.

HVAC units can also be close to end of their life span if the builders didn't use quality components. 

Most architectural shingles have a 30 year life span.

We have done well in RE mainly due to leveraging over the last 10 years but had we sold stock and paid cash the SP500 would have trounced our RE investments in the same time span...unless we had put the RE cashflow back into the market maybe but I am to lazy to figure that out.