Sometimes they find a renter that will sign a lease for a high amount only for the renter to default leaving the owner eating the vacancy. 

If she pays, then your really out of luck and you have to sue her in court for breaking the lease and damages.In general, I don't take people to court once I have the property back as the attorney fees and the fact you RARELY collect on any judgements (15% of the time or less) eats any profit and wastes your time.

-Or is this normal and I eat the repair costs? 

I eat $1,000, or I have a vengeful tenant in Seattle.

When calculating that into your analysis you’ll see that can eat up your profit real quick.

i would use steel wool in any holes then caulk over that so they will not want to eat that.

Next thing you know it's time for a short break and your free to go..lolThe bottom line is know what you are buying and look deep inside yourself to ask the hard questions: Will I not be able to eat or live if I buy this, will i do the hard work to make it work for me.

with that said, should you increase your down payment to mask flaws in an otherwise terrible deal - an alligator that will eat you alive with deferred maintenance that is in a worse neighborhood than you think, but an agent sold you on it because it has new countertops? 

There is a lot of misconceptions still, about what it is, how it is mined and how it could penetrate daily lives even more than the internet did and does. 100k is the low end...Mcafee ( the security software guy) is a coin miner and says that he bets bitcoin hits 1 million by 2020 or he will eat his own private parts.

In either instance, you were able to use the cash out for something and if you had left the interest rate alone, over time you would come out ahead (unless of course he put you into an interest only loan or something crazy).You're right that refinancing so many times can eat up your principal and since you were the one that signed the papers, it is your fault, but I stand by the assertion that no one got rich on one point.Stephanie