What is your personal criteria for buying here?

Most are online, at civicsource.com  and happen once a month.

Financial Highlights•Acquisition Price: $72,000•Renovation Costs: $35,600•Total Investment: $107,600•Funds: raised from personal savings and private lenderHow did you add value to the deal?

I can only speak to myself personally but I've continued to invest, knowing properties may not cash flow much but I've invested in value-add so focusing on appreciation.

Geez, there’s so much opinion, emotions, beliefs, and personal experience in this thread.  

It was inspiring to hear what others have planned for their business and personal lives.

Think about the person booking, what are they looking for? 

I work a lot, probably more than the average W2, but we also travel a lot, at least 6 trips every year.So that's what's driving me, numbers on a screen are nice, but they are not fulfilling on a personal level.

Explore my personal favorites, Set For Life by Scott Trench or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, for invaluable financial insights.3.

A FHA 203k Loan is where the purchase price and rehab costs are rolled into a single loan.Assuming you have a respectable FICO you can buy, with a FHA Loan (3-5% down, a 30 year amortization schedule, and a residential loan rate) AND because you closed personally, you will not have Asset Protection, in the form of closing in the name of a LLC/ LLC taxed as an S Corp, or an S Corp.