Get a professional tenant and you could be in for death by a thousand cuts. 2) Not knowing your numbers - If you buy with the wrong numbers you can get in trouble quick. if you just assume that you buy for X rent for Y and pay Z in mortgage, insurance and taxes you will be in for a big suprise when things start breaking etc. turning your good investment into a money trap3) Related to number 2 and a fairly common one if you spend all your profits and don't reserve when suprises hit you will not have enough money to cover it4) Not keeping up the property - No one wants to live in a dump, a slum lord attracts slum lord tenants and this can eventually catch up to you5) Speculating  - This could go very well or very bad.

Perhaps receiving a steady stream of income from the sale would be more attractive to her than one lump sum.

The terms are very attractive and its all unsecured debt. 

You can buy nicer rent-ready properties that will attract higher quality tenants and have a good property manager managing the property (5 minutes per year time spend), or you can buy a total dumper that needs rehabbing and then you can landlord it yourself (up to hundreds of hours of time spend).

HiI recently became highly interested in becoming an investor, as it seems an attractive retirement plan.

I believe this will serve to be more attractive to potential tenants and I will most likely not have to incur any maintenance reasons for hopefully several years.

If you're personable and passionate, you will attract enthusiastic people.

@John Underwood, I couldn't agree more, with everything you've stated.I purposefully set my rates higher on AirBNB, so as not to attract visitors from that site unless I need to.

.- Attractive rate.- No/Low points upfront.- 30 yr am.If you can identify which 1 or 2 you want to give up, and can be crystal clear when Dialing for Dollars, it'll likely save you a bunch of time.

If she is the perfect tenant except she is (Age/Sex/Race/Religion/Familial status/sexual orientation) then well you are simply discriminating.