At the end of the day this is a belly to belly business you and the ( seller in your case)... no one is going to be there to hold your hand.. and what you say in those split seconds are going to make it or break it for you.its why mentoring for a top end real estate agent that will actually let you go on Sits with them and spend time with them is far more productive than most of these guru's types... 

I figured if my math is right with renovation costs and I can find a nearby vacant lot it may be worth the effort but your general advice is there are easier ways of doing this and the juice may not be worth the squeeze?

@Mike Dymski I agree that the TD application was a tough process, but the juice was worth the squeeze.  

My husband was in the restaurant business until he became very ill and it went belly up 3 years ago.

Last year, that investment went belly up, it is now in litigation and they will probably lose their entire investment.

I'll be studying 2 years in Phili which is exactly the time it takes for a tax free saving on a main home, partnering up with someone as a pure investment play would remove a bit of the juice from such a play am afraid.

If you're not built to survive in this game, go buy bonds or precious metals or orange juice futures. 

Hello @Alethea Bell I am not using hard money funding to acquire the property.

I can always tell when they have beeen there as there are tobacco juice stains all over the carpets.

It's more time-intensive if you manage it yourself, but in Colorado Springs, Airbnb is a good way to juice your rents quite a bit.