I second that advice, which puts me in direct conflict with long distance landlording.  

There are always indirect overhead costs (for example, I pay about $15k/yr for worker's compensation insurance as a general contractor), as well as consumable items (cleaning supplies, screws, nuts, bolts, WD-40, you name it), These things add up when you do property maintenance at any volume, and if you don't recoup these costs, you operate at a loss and quickly go out of business.I agree it was a poorly worded response from your handyman.

It really boils down to consistency in direct mail, following up, and actually taking the time to meet the seller in person, contracts in hand.

Maybe more so b/c I've personally gone through about half of them and either indirectly deal with them or heard the stories from other investors. 

It only indirectly affects mortgage rates.At the end of the day, as the Fed has to raise their rates, the cost of lending money will have to go up.

What if they ban evictions (directly with a law or indirectly by simply keeping the courts closed.)Except for the 1% of the people here who pay all cash for every property I’m probably one of the least leveraged posters and it’s still concerning.

That being said, you can indirectly have this conversation by having very strict income standards for your properties. 

@James Cerasoli At some point you can not pay this guy if he is in direct violation of your contract, and can't prove work done. 

Not leveraging your portfolio, either via a refinance or more indirectly in an equity raise, is a poor financial decision, from a tax standpoint as well as a growth standpoint.The only reason it doesn’t make sense is if your investment property is fundamentally a loser to begin with, or if you do not have financial intelligence and think it’s a good idea to pay off your loans 100%.

Anyway, here goes with what I've found: •Mortgage Lender: “A person Making a Mortgage Loan or Servicing a Mortgage Loan for others, or, for compensation or gain, directly or indirectly, selling or offering to sell a Mortgage Loan to a Non-Institutional Investor.