Additionally, it's a good idea to connect with a Property Manager early on.

In addition to interest and repairs, you can deduct off a 27 year depreciation on the home. 

I heard that you would need to get neighborhood approval in addition to the city approval... 

Additionally house tenants bring more of their own appliance, like refrigerator, washer and dryer; which means tenants are responsible for repair and replacement of their own appliances. 

Patio door prices can depend on the Model of Patio door you are looking for, for a standard 60x80 in white it will cost $1900.00 colors can be added, and for a patio door 72x80 the cost will be $2100.00 Outswing for a 60x80 will cost $2600.00 installed, and for an outswing 72x80 it will cost $2700.00 installed outswing with Grills for a 60x80 costs $1860.00, and an outswing 72x80 will cost $2300.00 installed.You also add blinds to all sliding and outswing patio doors for an additional charge.

So by spending $42k I collected an additional $75k over 5 years, and then sold the furniture through a consignment store collecting $8k as my share.  

Real estate investing has been a passion of mine for time with my mother also having invested early on where I likely have gotten the love and desire to follow similar foot steps.I have taken last 6 months to educate myself and currently own a single family home as primary residence and would like to expand to multi family properties (2-4 units) for additional stream of income, not to mention potential tax benefits for long-term investing.Based on current living situation, I have a fair amount of equity established in my primary residency along with having enough cash to either pay off house completely or use towards investing in a multi family property.Given that I'm the sole source of income for our household with my wife being the home maker for our two kids under 2, trying to weigh out risks with getting started now or perhaps waiting. 

Either way it would be a grey area, selling a house with a different amount of units/bedroom/bathroom seems extreme though. its an auction site, I have seen auction sites miss the fact there was additional lots in a sale.

In addition to those I would also suggest making a commitment to going to local meet ups and networking events in your area.

Additionally, do you all generally use a smaller income criteria if the rent is inclusive of utilities?