I think in your 4 months downtime, you could certainly do some driving for dollars and direct marketing and bag a few wholesale deals.

I have bought renovated a few houses myself however and love doing the work it would be a great way to spend my down time from my principle job and potentially do it full time.

I try to schedule things as quickly as possible so my down time and therefore vacancy is as close to zero as possible.

I contacted my HVAC guy and told him I was in the market for a new hot water heater and wanted to be proactive.I let him know that whenever he had some down time or a slow period to add me to his schedule.  

I think getting licensed while you have some down time may be a smart move.  

As my project is nearing completion, I need to start working toward acquiring the next property to have minimum downtime between projects.

The reason we do not is because we feel that, although they can have their benefits, it is a means to keep the cash flowing during down time.

@Bill Gulley my CPA still charges for his advice if I don't talk to him in the downtime (usually june to august).  

Listening to podcasts doesn't make you money, it's better as a tool for motivating yourself in your downtime or answering questions while you're in the process of doing things and get stuck at a point and need answers.

That also means down time in the summer, when many will be gone or subletting to other students, so summer is a good time for non essential repairs and upgrades.Best of luck to you, feel free to pm me with questions.Kelly