I pretty much violate every rule there is from the 2% rule to the 50/50 rule to the 70% rule on this one.I found labor for the first rehab on craigslist and this was a classic example of trying so hard to get the lowest cost labor that I spent twice as much money in the long run. 

I have a blog post (third one down on my profile) on some older classics books about landlording (classics of lanldord lit). 

there's only one reason for no inside pics and not wanting strangers walking through the house...classic hoarder case.

To me this is classic renters thoughts somehow when people rent they lose all problem solving abilities with lodging. 

So, the duplex is a classic buy, but if you don't plan on rehabbing it, or it doesn't need rehab, you are leaving dollars on the table.  

They are classic $30K pigs.  

Totally depends on the area, the timing, and the preference of the investor my friend, real estate is like the weather - a couple cities away can be vastly different.That said, buy and hold is certainly a timeless classic everywhere.

Well, it was bound to happen, has been a few years, but we have the classic case of the tenant from hell in one of our units.Couple and child, dog and cat, in a good all tile, recently renovated unit.Problems began when we refused, not for the first time, the tenants request to modify the unit inside and for yet another sublet of one bedroom.

It was a classic case of one department not talking to the other, or just how screwed up the banks are.

So, you're being subsidized by the landlord.If you were to move to a lower costs area, there would be better deals, and buying would make more sense.The classical rental investing rule of thumb is that its only a good rental if the monthly rent is at least 1% of the purchase price.