But I am a glutton for punishment, so it only wet my appetite so I kept going onto other deals.To answer Mike's question - I went on to get my Brokers Lic. and took over an existing office as the operations manager, first thing I did was revamp the rental department.

It is the risk appetite of the bank at that time and other factors as well.Hope this helps.

We have moved to hardwired-interconnected with battery backup (in older buildings we use the ones that interconnect wirelessly if we cannot easily pull a 14/3 between the detectors).We also make it very clear in our lease that disabling or impairing the functionality of any fire/gas detection or suppression equipment is a minimum $200.00 fine and cause for termination of the tenancy.

We don't sell the equity in our model because absorbed cap rates can change as can appetites but that doesn't change the performing numbers either if you simply hold on.

The where is going to depend on your fundamentals and appetite as a Real Estate Investor.

It is your job as a REI (IMHO) to suppress the risks best you can in every deal no matter how it is procured (Friend, REO, MLS and etc.)  

We are in atlanta and anywhere that a young professional can afford alone is extremely speculative and more than our risk appetites are hungry for. 

Don't worry about interest rates or fees until you know what the bank's risk appetite is.

My advice is not to waste your money on testing clean with bleach water and buy a mildew mold suppressant from hardware store it's a chemical you put in a pump up sprayer keeps mold from coming back if on a painted surface get a fungicide paint additive and repaint area.

I find the podcasts to be really great so check those out as well.A lot of your answers depend on how much cash you have to invest, the strategy you want to pursue and your appetite for risk.Welcome to the community.