They employ something like 18,000 people in Detroit last I checked.But let's pretend it was more severe.

Finally, you could simply call up the local real estate office and pretend to be a Buyer interested in the area and ask them to tell you about the town and which areas are good, which streets etc.

This is not to say that I pretend that they do not exist, simply to state that the funds used for those capital expenses come from a reserve account and not the cash flow.From a tax keeping standpoint, it is easier and more straightforward (for me & others) to do it that way.You may not ever have to put on a new roof or ac unit, and on another property you may have to.

If the buyer repairs the house before closing or pretends to be owner occupant when they are an investor that agent most likely will lose his NAID and ability to sell HUD.

I manage my own properties because of all the horror stories out there, so I'm definitely biased, but - I would lean towards the little guy who doesn't pretend to know everything - it may cost you less to have him refer you to actual specialists if you need them & not have his fingers in every pot.

I feel there are a lot of qualified people on here who have more experience and I don't want to come off as a pretender.

Pretend you just bought them and you have 60 day deadline with a punch list to get done. one For maintenance and one for the tenants, decide who stays and who's out the door. 

Those appraisers love to kill sales.Here's some sound advice that will prevent you (and anyone else reading this) from buying a new car/furniture/vacation with your pretend profits before close of escrow; The deal ain't done until the check clears the bank.

Pretend you're buying a property.

My apologies for the long post, however I am and eagle stuck pretending to be a rat right now. the best thing to do is find a eagle that is flying and ask them how to take off.