Any and all advice is awesome as i want to soak up as much information as i can to build my portfolio. 

I'm here with an open heart and mind and eager to soak up as much wisdom and advice as I can from this incredible community.  

Tenants will shoot holes in walls and doors, start kitchen fires and not mention it, let their pit bulls eat the basement stairs and their cats soak the floors in pee, take the appliances when they move out, deal drugs and run a whorehouse from your property.The people I know who own places like this make their margin by being absolute slumlords, spending no money on upkeep.

Drive around to see which zip codes you see dumpsters and construction happening, look to see where permits are being pulled and which houses are going pending on MLS.Network with a local real estate agent who works primarily with investors soak up their knowledge.

Kilz in subfloors, if it soaked that far, but I am always a fan of replacing where needed, since MDF is pretty cheap.Then if you aren't replacing ductwork and HVAC, then get those cleaned and serviced.  

Has there been enough development downtown, in Johnson City, and along the Parkway that those units are preferred by students and soaking up the off-campus demand?

Soak it in, ask questions, learn from those with years of experience. 

I would be more than happy to see if I could somehow add some value to someone near me to bounce ideas off of and simply soak up as much as I can in exchange for whatever I may be able to assist in so that I can start taking action in a dedicated direction.

In this way, he's generating more income which soaks up his passive losses and therefore decreasing his overall effective tax rate.You maintain control over your money, you're earning more tax-free income, and you're investing in (theoretically) higher ROI assets than what would be available through a 401(k).

I am essentially a newbie to REI so trying to be a sponge at this time and soak up as much information as possible.