My approach is:Carpet only (low profile) on the stairs, primarily for ease of installation and safety of residents,Leave Linoleum in place in kitchen and bathrooms since it is in good condition without teas or peel off,LVP in the rest of the house (bedrooms, hallways, living room, dining room, family room, totaling about 1,600 sq ft) for its semi waterproof qualities.

You cannot save right until you spend right. 10 years ago when I moved to alaska I had a 3 month job a dog and 3 duffel bags.

Buy 275,000 $1 bags of candy?

If I can not get access to the property, I will assume anything built before 1982 will contain asbestos/lead in common materials (based on my experience there's a 90% chance this is the case).I believe Texas requires any "contractor" performing ASB abatement to have a license, which means Texas has some regulations established regarding removal & disposal.In California, if you are the property owner you can perform the removal/abatement yourself (assuming SFR), the only requirement is that the asbestos waste be bagged up & taken to a designated facility (in my case in Santa Barbara there is a facility at UCSB where homeowners can take the waste at no/minimal charge). 

they are ok thank God.I did a walk thru of the unit yesterday and took them some bug spray trash bags case of water and sprays to just give a helping hand.  

Anyway, I’m planning on holding onto it, so let’s move along.General expenses: Property inspection: $425Flights/bags/ground transit for 2 people: $600Service main water valve: $389Service 2 furnaces: $200Paint materials both units: $370Cost of hiring friend who came along and worked 3.5 days: $500Total random home depot materials including light fixtures, electrical gear, primer, brushes, locks, light bulbs, tools, drywall, tape, etc: $1,820.Total: $4,304Unit 1 - Down Paint labor bedrooms, bath, and kitchen: $0 (friend from out of town did it for free)Installing fixtures, switches, outlets, cabinet knobs, doorstops, blinds, towel racks, bathroom mirror, caulking, etc: $0 - did it myself.Estimated cost if contracted: $1,500Unit 2 - Up Labor to strip wallpaper, repair drywall, sand, prime, and paint full unit (contracted out): $1200Installing electrical outlets/switches/fixtures: $125New electric stove: $200Refinish bathtub: $300Pull carpet: $250Total: $2,075Estimated short-term costs (<1 year) New roof Spring 2018: $8000Gutter cleaning and repair: $300New Floor in kitchen (estimate): $500Total estimated costs: $8,800Year 1 non-recurring costs to make it rent ready: $91,979Estimated mid-term costs (1-5 years) 2 new furnaces: $55002 new hot water tanks: $2000Misc: $1,000Total: $8,500*After the tanks/furnaces get replaced the building should be rock solid for 10-15 years at least, assuming no major disasters.Monthly expense breakdown: 5-year private money balloon loan on $87k over 20 years: $574Property tax: $215Insurance: ~$100Water bill: ~$60Sewer bill: ~$40Garbage: $16Rental registration: $6Lawncare: $40CapEx: $100Vacancy: $75@ 5%*I’m self-managing, therefore I’m not yet factoring in property management.Monthly Totals:Projected rent: $1,500 ($750/unit, but will shoot for $775 initially)Expenses: $1,226Cash Flow: $274/monthCash on cash return: infinite (more or less)ROI based on $18,000 yearly at $91,979 initial cost: 19.5%NOI: $3,288About the loan:I don’t qualify for bank financing since I’ve moved countries and jobs so much in the last couple years.

He doesn't invest in stock and 401k afaik.Anyway i think different people have different cup of tea in terms of investment vehicle. it's good to know their stories from both side and determine which one you choose.

Which is maybe 10-15 steps to the parking area.I know other multi units will supply a shovel ( that is returned at end of lease) and one bag of salt per season.

Go look at the bag of the ticket that you probably put on your dashboard.  

It's not my cup of tea, but I'm sure certain people do great with it.There are a lot of upcoming areas in Philly that I think will be safer and easier to start with... then you can always decide where to go from there.