I saw Yardi has come out with a new product, which I think is designed to be cheaper and not quite as comprehensive.

use your household income.....spouse maybe??

If there was comprehensive work involved, then $4,000 could be considered a fair price - but you can always look for cheaper options.

Establish your standards for total household income requirements (regardless of source) and stick to it.

I'd aim for using the same type of HVAC system for both units and separately metered if possible so each household pays for their own heat.For now, I suggest you invest in a few oil-filled portable electric heaters to have on hand in the event of a no-heat call.

Successful real estate businesses are built on these three pillars:Investment StrategyRisk managementPortfolio managementA comprehensive strategy leverages investment strategy, risk management and portfolio management.

This info will give you a decent idea of what to expect and help filter down your search to a few cities.Some of the metrics that the survey provides and that I find valuable to understand are:- Population - Home Values- Household Incomes- Rental Vacancy Rate- Homeowner Vacancy Rate- Poverty Rate- Educational Attainment Rate (High School/GED & Bachelors)- Number of Housing Unit- Rent to Income Ratio- Rent to Price Ratio- Population on SNAPS (supplemental nutrition assistance program) percentage- Property Tax Rate- Median Age of Buildings- Number of Structures by Units (SFR, Duplex, Triplex, Quadplex, etc...)- Median Rents by Number of Bedrooms- Unemployment Rate- Employment Sectors Percentages These are just some of the indicators that will help you understand the quality of an area as well as the kinds of returns one is to except.Also take into consideration the direction in which each of these market indicators are trending.

There's a course at a university nearby that has a pretty comprehensive degree called Business Enterprise and Essential Management Skills that I think would be useful toward both RE and an entry level W-2 job.

On 5+ units it goes down considerably per unit.I charge a RUBS - ratio utility billing system of $65 for household of 2 and +10 for each additional household member when it comes to water/sewer/trash and this usually comes out to 60-80% of actual costs (some markets you can get 100% back, but its not legal to get more than 100%).

There is a $25 limit for gifts per household.