It'll be easier to start with a turn-key property, but if you have a good contracting team, a value add will typically offer better returns. 

It's people who understand that it takes effort to become successful, typically from CA at this point, and have a way of showing those characteristics, do best.

Those horror stories are typically from amateur landlords that don't know how to screen tenants.

That’s because the longer someone has lived in their house, the more that home’s value has grown, which directly increases equity.And if you’re one of those people who’s been in their home for 10 years or more, know this – according to NAR:“Over the past decade, the typical homeowner has accumulated $201,600 in wealth solely from price appreciation.”The Benefits of Having Home EquityWhat does that mean for you?

For those that have yet to do this, it takes less than 10 minutes if you are a single member llc - just make sure to have a copy of some sort of identification. we did all of ours .. and our attorney contacted us as well and let us know to get them done or he would do them for us. 

WE have all sorts of rifles and AK etc etc..

Spreads between conventional loans are typically 100-150 bps of the loan amount.

I’m sorting out best options for a house that my husband bought in 2008 which has been a rental for years now.  

@Augusta Owens here's some copy & paste info you won't find in a book:)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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 property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

Property owners get an annual update on their SEV & Taxable Values with their city property tax bill, typically sent in December.So now, the city assessor tracks the SEV, but homeowners are taxed based upon the capped Taxable Value.