Mine was also out of state, in a town I’d never visited, and I relied heavily on videos from my agent.This sounds like a tough first deal, but it seems like you have some capital on the side, which will be useful as you face the upcoming challenges and learn from those expensive early mistakes.Regarding the subject of this post, “help me adjust my expectations,” I’d recommend assuming that; repairs will cost twice as much as you estimate, maintenance and vacancy rates will likely double from your initial projections, there’s a very real chance you may lose money on this deal.That said, there are ways to mitigate these risks by:- Keep asking questions here on BP and connecting with local experts- Stay proactive and communicative with your agent and property manager.And remember “Inspect what you expect.”Im not trying to discourage you but to help reset your expectations.

but, should you buy a money pit and lose thousands or tens of thousands of dollars? 

So it does suck to think about losing such a great rate.

I know what my ideal life looks like in ten years, unfortunately, I don’t feel like I can have my ideal life now because I am having to stay in the state that I am in until we can move without risk of my husband losing custody of his child, which will be in about 10 years so believe it or not I do spend a lot of time thinking about what I want the future to be like.

I really appreciate the emphasis on simplicity and clarity—especially the advice about keeping non-operating expenses separate from NOI.

If you raise 5% and lose a month you will have a net loss.

The seller will lose some rent, potentially incur costs to evict, possibly costs to clean out the units depending on your sales agreement.

I've seen landlords live in blissful ignorance for 5-10 years due to dumb luck, then their world comes crashing down and they lose everything.I have a book, there are some in the BP bookstore, or you can check out one of my personal favorites, Every Landlord's Legal Guide by NOLO.

If you dont have a great team to work with you can lose your shirt even if the house is next door to where you live... there are lots of great areas but only a limited number of great teams so our final choice has always been team driven... saying that we look for an area where there are lots of opportunities  and rental houses available in good areas using the 2 % rule  we found this in Detroit and Toledo  more then willing to share what we do and what we have learnt over the years

You can lose your butt out here if you don't buy right.