Thanks for your comment Randy.Nothing beats going in the trenches and loosing money.Those are the best lessons that no book, guru, video, blog, event, etc... can teach."

-Gutters cleaning: $350 -fix broken downspout: $300 -fix loose siding: $250 -carbon monoxide detector: $125-bath silicone: $100 -deck boards: 3-4 are bad need to be replaced What does everyone think.

@Kay Nemen - get comfortable with the idea that rents must increase and must outpace inflation or your returns will eventually degrade to the point where you are loosing money.

Yes you could make a buck on a deal gone well, but you can also loose some or get in trouble by doing so.

I understand about not giving them a house (loose the stepped up basis).

And not loose too much in the process! 

Loose idea but possible. 

A % of the profit could yield more, but you also could loose more.

When our hardwoods start to loose their sheen after several years, we buff them hard with a screen and apply another layer of poly.

No reason to loose this cost from your profit.