My prior philosophy had been since they are really good renters I would not want to jeopardize losing them  by proposing a rent increase but in the end that's not worth losing up to 4-5k every year.  

Watching a video of Phil P. of freedommentor.com, I was surprised to hear him say that he too used to think it was better to have 24 properties all highly leveraged instead of one or two paid off properties that cash ...

My simple philosophy is: buy the worst houses for the cheapest prices in the best streets I can AFFORD (without sacrificing positive cash flow, even leveraged at 70%).

You also need to look at their track record, dig into their investment philosophy and investigate how they approach the due diligence process on their acquisitions.

I enjoy her philosophy and when our kids get a little older (2 under 2 right now) we hope to get back to more traveling! 

I understand there are some extra closing costs that eat into the margins a bit, but the overall philosophy shouldn't change should it?  

First you needs to determine your investment philosophy.

Dawn, your philosophy, knowledge of how investing works and what landlords are looking for, as well as your pricing model is really very appealing to me.  

I like @Ali Boone 's life philosophy also, and investment style, and had the opportunity to meet @Sarah B. the other night in Sacramento.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt6UVAh54tM

One of the best excerpts from my favorite author Jim Rohn.

He talks about what a kid should do with $1.