A nice side benefit (that I'm sure wasn't the goal) is it 'encourages' people to take fewer legal write offs to boost their tax return income so they can get a loan. 

I found the speed of my learning and involvement in REI boosted exponentially as I got engaged in the forums personally.Hope to see you more around the forums.

Hi @Mindy Jensen,Bigger Pockets have help me a lot from learning about real estate investing and boosting my confidence in buying my first duplex.

He was also accused of violating the rent control laws in an effort to boost the value of the properties he bought.So is East Palo Alto really bad?

I can see there being an ego boost in buying an apartment complex, which could make someone feel like ‘one of the big boys’, but I just don’t see it in the numbers.

So if you are running a very efficient property and manage to keep your NOI very high, you may get shafted by an appraiser who weighs to heavily comparable building unit costsConversely, if your property is running inefficiently, that same appraiser would "boost" up your property's value beyond what your NOI deservesBanks also will have a set of standard values they use for underwriting like vacancy %, capex/unit/yr, repairs&maintenance/unit/yr, etc...Also, take a look at this thread for more info:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/432/topics/368546-how-will-a-bank-value-an-apartment-building-for-financing

@Julie Toh intersting point about the interest being tax deductible. that should definitely boost the ROI, and seems like a good reason to use financing. i'm just trying to keep the bigger picture in mind (ie, acquiring multiple properties long-term) ... how do you see people managing this in your area?

Being under the tutelage of an experienced investor, be it a lender, flipper, wholesaler, or landlord, will give new investors that boost in the industry.

I also agree with @John Teachout that your rents at this value are only marginal - is there some cosmetic work that can be done to boost the rent numbers?

But Bigger Pockets has helped hone my skills, broaden my thinking, and generally boost my confidence.