One of my first--and biggest to date-- blunders in real estate was working with a contractor that I deeply connected with. 

However, we are taking over from a PM to self-manage and are inheriting the current setup.Our biggest concern is that this first communication from the tenant was a sob story asking for $500 back/off rent.

The biggest lesson from this one though had to be around timing.

They also hide their markups3) Biggest challenge with owners & maintenance, is owners think everything "takes only 5 minutes".

Someone's home is one of the BIGGEST and MOST IMPORTANT things in their life!

The biggest factor is thoroughly review their credit score report especially on time payment record and score.

I've often found that the biggest competitive advantage you have when you are getting started is proximity! 

The biggest thing to make sure of is to choose a solid strategy that you plan on using for the long term and choose a city/state that you trust.

These are the scenarios I'm looking at.Let's say the three parties (Me and my wife, friend, and sister-in-law) invest three ways, say 2:1:1, with the friend being the biggest investor.

Paying off the mortgages negates one of the biggest benefits of investing in real estate, leverage.