I also want to do the 3 month inspections as well due to the harsh Montana winters to ensure there are no leaks, etc. 

Although there is - without question - a very heavy O&G presence, Houston has also become a center for chemical manufacturing, engineering, research, etc. 

Flitz makes great cleaners that are paste so they can stand on upright glass for awhile before scrubbing, letting the chemical work instead of you.  

It doesn’t matter what some harsh, rich guy says about your 401K investment.

Yes, that was a bit harsh.

I guess I can't judge them too harshly, sometimes I can be a little off-putting, even for myself:) Plus 1 week definitely isn't long enough to cultivate good working relationships, but if I'm not looking at properties or trying to figure out the streets, I'm twiddling my thumbs and my brain is going like 50 miles a second!

Their winters are harsh, but nothing compared to Canada.

Bob Bowling You are coming across as a little harsh, especially when the original poster is correct regarding both the '50% rule' and cap rate use.50% Rule: Total Rents X 50% Expenses (insurance, taxes, maintenance, capital repairs, management, vacancy, etc) = Net Operating Income (NOI).

I can smell sulfur and other chemicals through my vents.

http://www.pureayre.com/products-pets.htm  This is a site that has an all-natural formula lets you get rid of pet odors without the dangers of chemicals