. $5,000 was not an amount of money they readily had, and they requested I allow them a couple of months to gather the funds so their kids could have a Christmas.

I went went through some "odd" experiences with a couple of other PMs in Cleveland and after firing them I ended up with AllStar Management, which is who he is with.

I'm beginning to take interest in buying a single family rental or a small multi-family as a preferred strategy. 

Comparing two deals - with almost same price point #1. no rent increases but Percentage rent lease - There is a base rent ( ~65% of NOI)  and the rest is percentage of their gross sales in last 12 months#2. 10% rent increase every 5 yearsAs a newbie option #2 seems preferable /safer to me, and #1 may be slightly riskier.

Probably smart to take a break a couple of years of this market, I think you are coming back at exactly the right time - on the cusp of the next boom market

Another afternoon, at the Maryvale court, a teenage couple and one of their mothers discussed strategy in the hallway, fussing over a thick stack of documents.

I plan to live in one side and rent the other out for at least 2-5 years then will either get a property manager (preferred) or sell.

I do owe a monthly mortgage payment on a couple of them and have one that is free and clear.

The tenant moves in next week and I will be doing a unit walkthrough and orientation with him where I will go through the key parts of the lease since he didn't sign it.A couple other things that are different from typical MTR stays:- They are not using my property management software (RentRedi) to pay rent.

I would share with a good potential tenant but I wouldn't while showing, just my preference.