Thanks for the advice, I'm glad to see there are other musicians here!  

I thought I remembered from a few of the BP podcasts that people had been able to force equity by a combination of improvements that enabled them to raise rents and better management that meant higher occupancy.Now, provided the OP has a good grasp of his market, he's saying he can raise rents WITHOUT exceeding market rates, which I think we can all agree is a good idea.

This enabled us to request the plumber hydrojet the line to remove some of the roots with a follow up pipecam which the seller paid for. 

I do this so often that I created an online tool which enables me to instantly estimate a break-even price (where rent equals recurring expenses).

I see the benefits of positive cash flow from day one as being a huge deal since that can create the snowball effect and thus enable me to purchase more properties faster.

It has enabled me to get renters quicker for a bit more rent. 

P.S. if having trouble with editing, click print then save document as pdf enabling it to be edited once saved.

Been creeping for a while but I'm in the market again so thought I'd enable my posting capabilities to see what the results would be :)I'm gainfully employed by day in the auto industry and have been investing in buy and hold residential real estate now for more than 15 years (wow I feel old), starting with a slum lord "2% rule" rental in downtown Kalamazoo which was my worst nightmare, but a great way to learn the ropes - lost $2,000 net net on that deal when I got out but it was a very cheap education.  

Equity from improving and refinancing the 4-plex will also likely be greater, enabling me to get into another property much more quickly after this one.

Depending upon your income and other debt obligations, this could potentially amplify your savings (30K) into a total purchase of $300K - $600K.In much of Canada, this would enable you to purchase a small multi-family property (2-4 units), provided you planned to live in one of the units.