Once converted to a rental, repairs and improvements may qualify as deductible expenses, but pre-conversion repairs typically do not.

Typically people charging for that service are doing it because they need the money...if you catch my drift. 

Just like any aspect of real estate investing, non-consumer lending at a large scale is a relationship business. 

It is typically lower than cash-on-cash and you can put it somewhere around 6% conservatively.

Quote from @Luke Tetreault: My Fiancé and I will be wrapping up our 2nd year of investing part time in the next couple of months.

I recognize there are other ways I could invest this cash (including another property) but I am being mindful of levering myself out too much in the current environment where job losses are more common in my industry (tech).

I'd love to get takes from folks who have been around the investing & development scene longer than me - The city of Denver announced yesterday that the mayor has coordinated a land swap with a private developer. 

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.2.

Novice looking to get into multi family investing in Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati.

Also, consider this copy & paste advice below:Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a Class A property in Class D area, what quality of tenant will you get?