Each transaction at this stage on the real estate cycle must be looked at worst case scenario is what to do if I cannot sell at my projected price point .

Things have since settled and the investments are bringing in nice monthly income.However, I can't help but get the feeling that while I was blessed to have the cash to own that it utterly kills my ability to buy more investments and there's probably a better way to do this than the way I've done it? 

Staged homes spend half the time on the market compared to non-staged homes and they regularly sell for about 6% above the listed price. 

We still have some odd or unqualified folks get to the showing stage but our background/ credit/ income verification/ reference checks catch the ones that try to hide something.

Should we even bother looking for investment properties in this stage of the cycle?  

@Subbie Kaur: Thanks for your input and my strategy is to buy low and sell High, with that said I am in the beginning stages of investing and have a limited knowledge of the inner workings of Taxation Corporation structure so on and so on and I'm sure there will be some bumps along the way but to make a long story short my strategy is simple to make money honestly and legally regardless the end of the day make money

I've watched countless videos on YouTube with Grant Cardone and many other big time real estate investors but I'm still in that stage where I feel like I don't quite know enough to approach my first deal confidently.

Far too many get stuck in the "paralysis by analysis" stage, thinking they just don't know enough to get started.

I would bet 500 a month for insurance. 200 for utilities, could be 1000 a month property tax depending on the area, permits for the rehab, staging, etc. 15K is way too low.

The seller is under water on the house and is in the pre-foreclosure stage.