For example, if average use is $150 per month, tell the tenant you will cover up to $200 per month and anything above that will be billed to them.

I’m moving out of the house soon and will be living rent-free with my wife at my parents' place in the Bay Area due to some recent life changes.Here’s a breakdown of my situation:Location: Sacramento, CA (4 bed, 2 bath, recently renovated)Current mortgage payment: $3,940/month (including escrow)Mortgage balance: $475,000Current home value: $515,000 - $535,000 (based on comps)Rental estimate: Property management companies are quoting $2,600/month (with fridge/washer/dryer included), but some websites suggest it could go for up to $3,000/month.Planned budget:$540/month for capital expenditures and maintenance$100/month for lawn careTenant to cover utilities (gas, electricity, water)7.5% vacancy rateWe bought the house thinking it would be our forever home, but with our current situation, I’m trying to figure out the best long-term plan.

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620 (approaching 22% probability of default), many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.

This would increase the property’s value to about $608,000, and you could look at an 80% loan-to-value refinance, which should give you enough to cover most, if not all, of the remaining balance.This structure allows you to minimize upfront costs and take advantage of property appreciation over time.

Because two things: first, if you can't save enough money to make a down payment on an investment property, you shouldn't even be in this game, and second you are going to need cash reserves to cover the infinity of things that can go wrong on a rental, which means you should already have some free cash flow coming in from somewhere to account for that before you even rent the place out.

Of course, with all things, the answers to all these matters will depend on the circumstances.California tends to have more laws on the books and requirements and restrictions that it can be a good idea to form a CA LLC for out of state property so that you as a CA resident are covered, and to try to have your contracts fall under the purview of CA courts.

We keep everyone in the loop all throughout the process.To stay on track, we maintain a comprehensive checklist that covers all the tasks involved in closing a deal.

A mentor of mine with 400 units told me I can use a large seller credit to cover most of the down payment on a property I'm looking at.

Plenty of rent money to cover the PITI.) 

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620 (approaching 22% probability of default), many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.