Simple economics, supply and demand. 

I recently had an estimate of $20,000 to create a basement egress window and I put my foot down and told my GC that I was going to rent the excavator, and we found much cheaper supplies, and were doing the project ourselves.

I know that I can write my travel, supplies, and food expenses off of my taxes while on that trip.

What about repairs, supplies, and other expenses?

Hey BP World - I wanted to know if anyone has had any luck with structuring a novation deal in South Carolina.

Additionally, we like to look at rent trends over the past 5 years, average leasing times, % of homeowners to tenants for the market as a whole and specific neighborhoods, tax structure for both properties and income and affordability. 

@James Hamling thoughts on supply vs. demand and rate lock-in? 

I'll be looking for a 'hands off' brokerage if such a thing exists (while realizing I'll need a 'high level of supervision' my first two years) with a low fee structure for my own deals.

I mean as long as you still are personally guaranteeing the loan, it shouldn't make a difference to them whose name its in.This is how most commercial loans are structured.

In others experience is this return worth the risk given Multi-family environment ie supply, interest rates, project specific risks, illiquidity risk, and more specifically the Preferred Equity subordinated tranche risk (this sounds like just a Mezzanine loan without recourse).