We were "lucky" because we were 15/15 with respect to profits and didn't have any major bad stories but we followed a conservative route and basically were copycats of the bigger players that we got to know through observation.

Do not plan to bid at your first-one, just go: observe, learn who the players (high-bidders) are, and get to know some of them if you can.

Then I like to bring in specialists for a more in depth observation, namely electrical and plumbing contractors.

Do you mind sharing some your insight or observations about this area?

It is like when you decide to date someone if you observe bs in them you probably won't be going on another date with them.

It seems from my observations of people with a lot of accumulated wealth that many of them achieved wealth through concentrating their bets where they are highly skilled investors.

This is not based on any scientific data, just my observation from looking at other CL ads and talking to tenants.Also, the property with separate utilities commands a higher price than one with utilities included, so there's more financial incentive at the back end when you sell.

Originally posted by Jon Klaus:Also, you can attract high quality, stable tenants.Translation: Less turnover.It's easy to imagine those nomadic gypsies moving in an out of a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment like it was a hotel room, but get a family of 4 or 5 in an SFR and they tend to hang around a little longer.Of course, there's plenty of exceptions, but this is what I've observed.

Excellent observation, and completely true.

Observe what your neighbors are doing to sell their property.