Because it causes one to think about the way they invest, the reasoning behind their investments, and the success and failures their investment tactics and strategies have produced.I make a decision to pursue a real estate investment (or really any investment) based on an evaluation of risk vs return.  

Quote from @Jay Hinrichs: Quote from @Albert Hepp: I've seen huge growth in listings not offering a commission, but expecting a commission, and instructing the buyer agent to include the buyer agent commission with the offer.This is the first step towards buyers evaluating what an appropriate amount for their buyer agent to earn, which is a very good thing for buyers. here in Portlandia the listing agents are NOT Allowed to offer a commish..

I look forward to engaging with you all, sharing insights, and hopefully contributing to discussions as I progress on my journey. 

As a developer what plans and developments do you have in progress?   

@Andrew Giunta I noticed you posted this over a year ago... were you able to make any progress on this? 

Additionally, I've been spending a lot of time evaluating condo / HOA management solutions and accidentally stumbled on ManageCasa, which offers a free trial and < 3 unit free tier that has allowed me the time to get in, kick the tires, and really appreciate their attention to detail and broad feature set that adapts to each unique industry sector.

We continued in this way for about a year, making steady progress, learning from our mistakes and generally improving overall.

We're also able to evaluate our rates, and keep pace with inflation, on a monthly and quarterly basis because of shorter term leases.

I am looking to progress my real estate investing career in a responsible and timely way, and it has been hard to save money for my next property while paying this much for my current property.

.- Most contractors will cut corners, or worse, once they figure out they won't be watched closely:( Your job will also go to the bottom of their priority list.Monitoring progress is relatively easy: hire that same inspector to go by weekly or before any payments to take a VIDEO of:1) What was done2) Quality of workmanshipOne other thing you didn't ask about, payments to contractors.- They all want 50% down or as much as they can squeeze out of you.