That very night, we placed an offer, which the wife accepted the next day.

Accountants are in such demand, that the best are not even accepting clients half the time.The other problem I see often with accountants on here is that they specialize in larger investors, and have really high prices when you as a smaller investor do not need all the bells and whistles.Another thing I see is folks thinking they need to have a tax professional in their state.

And there are minimum amounts they will accept for these practices.

Whatever return is acceptable for you is a high enough return.

@Calvin Graves Once you find the right agent make sure you’re ready to make offers and follow through with purchases because there’s nothing that will ruin your relationship with a new agent faster than having him/her sending you dozens of leads and showing you properties only for you to never actually take any realistic type of action with offers that might actually be accepted.

If you are talking many years, then that's easy - take your personal items and put them in storage (or bring them with you), and accept that the rest of the house is just walls and floors and as long as the tenant doesn't burn the house down or cut down all your landscaping, everything else was going to wear out anyway whether you or a tenant was there, and when you put your personal effects back in and repaint, it's just like home again.

You don’t have to accept crap offers, maybe you get out without the headache? 

In signing this document I (we) agree upon and accept the above charges upon move-out.

Will your property provide acceptable cash flow after you move out to cover your mortgage, expenses, and then have some left over for straight profit?

If I'm accepting a 6+ month contract I'm now requiring one mid-stay clean, which I work into the price of the rent.