(I am useless when it comes to any type of home labor besides landscaping) My thought was that I could maximize my profits this way, and all the books I read seemed to provide assurance that I could do it.What I noticed was that my biggest impediment to get started was capital.I was by no means broke, and by most people’s accounts was living an above average quality of life compared to others my age.I however; did not have the savings to put $40,000 down payment on a $200,000 house.I read a lot of different books about creative financing and low money down types of investing.I am by no means saying that these strategies do not work, but they were not for me.Working full time I was very limited in the real estate strategies, and didn’t have the time or handiness to flip houses.Patience and Focus are really tough qualities to acquire especially when you’re motivated to take action.It took me working 3-4 years at a good company straight out of college to save up enough money for the down payment to purchase my first rental property.Throughout those two years I would check my bank account probably no less than 2 times a week keeping track of my savings.I however kept focus on saving and made sure to limit my spending.I am not talking about completely limiting your spending and not having fun or going out to eat.It is important to enjoy yourself and spend some money sometimes or else you will never be able to keep your focus.Patient and Focus actually transformed me from being a complete novice real estate investor into an intermediately knowledgeable real estate investor prior to even buying my first house.Because I had to wait three years I had ample time to evaluate housing deals and find out trends and housing demand in my local market.It’s tough to do these evaluations knowing that you cannot actually makes offers on any of the houses you are doing the analysis on.What I later learned however; is this practice helped me in making a very educated first rental property purchase that has turned into a success.I continue to do market research and deal analysis while I am saving up for the next rental property.For my job I fly out of town Monday through Thursday and work full time so it is possible to manage a property and not be in town all the time.Properties Acquired:I am doing a very simple 30 year fixed rate mortgage with 20% down.These houses are in good neighborhoods and school districts and seem to appreciate or minimally hold good value.I only allow quality tenants and my time management is extremely minimal.For some the returns may seem small, but it’s a nice amount of passive income I am starting to receive in now while slowly increasing my equity.Compared to my 401K returns even with-out considering the appreciation the REI seems to fair well.1st Home: Purchase Price $189,000, Cash-flow: $350/month, Equity $250/month2nd Home (9 months after 1st House): Purchase Price $183,000, Cash-flow: $400/month, Equity $235/month3rd Home (11 months after 2nd House): Purchase Price $180,000, Cash-flow: $450/month, Equity $235/month4th Home (10 months after 3rd House): Purchase Price $197,500, Cash-flow: $350/month, Equity $250/monthFuture Strategy:For now I think I will continue to keep the same very simple model as I don’t have the time for flipping or managing a condo/apartment complex.

I can assure you there were no time machines involved. 

This is less expensive.The broker for the 2nd quote assures me that he spoke with the insurance under writer and that the HO3 policy is correct for my property. 

You had better ensure that you can carry the mortgage in 3 years, as you can be rest assured that if the price of oil does not go back up, they will not likely exercise their right to renew the lease again.  

I don't know if this is something that you have run into before, and if there is anything I can do to help her see, and rest assured that it's a good way to grow financially.

I would agree, sure, if you already know what you are doing, then you are entitled to a free estimate, since the opportunity costs for contractors is less, and they can be assured that one of xx bids they submit could potentially be theirs.

Just tell them it's no longer available  but assure them you can help them in the future  by keeping  an eye out for what they want if they  can pay cash. 

This is an opportunity to introduce yourself, assure the one you plan to keep what your plans are and what your expectations are regarding rent, maintenance, etc. 

I assure you, the "Sandwich" is very tasty :)

Even after I start drawing on it the income from HML will assure me of never running out of money!