You also have to think the longer that tenant is in it, there will probably be some more expenses when you sell. 

One insurance claim and it will pay for all the premium you paid in last 10 years most likely.

I fought it, paid a LOT of money to get the work done.

Personally, I bought a 3 bedroom house as my first purchse and lived there while renting bedrooms and 2 bedrooms rent paid all of the mortgage payment and 2/3 of the utilitites.

We're an appreciation market, not as much of a cash flow market here, unless you're putting a large down payment or actively managing STR's.Buying out-of-state can get you more cash flow, but the tradeoff is less appreciation (usually), and cash flow can be eaten up by maintenance and expenses.

In the area I lived the properties were too expensive (Watsonville CA) so I began doing farther searches out of my area.

This is the BEST $100 you will ever spend, and if you listen to Amanda Han's tax book, you'll know it's also likely a business expense for you to write off :) https://biggerpockets.supercast.com/My perfect way to learn from the BP books is to listen to the audio book through the subscription above, then books that really stand out to me I go old school and get the physical copy so that I can re-read it, take notes in the margins, and put post it notes so key points are easier for me to re-reference in the future.

This is not the cheap markets but the higher cost markets.This year I added a half bathroom out of existing space in a very expensive area. 

Additionally, it provides investors with the opportunity to add a unit on a property they already own, simplifying management since the new unit is in the same location.Finding a vacant lot is both expensive and difficult, so the ability to build, subdivide, and create new development opportunities can make financing easier.

Basically - I want a PM who keeps the property in good shape and occupied to get paid, and a PM who is either bad at maintaining properties and finding good tenants, or just really unlucky, to not get paid.- PM charges 8% of rent, which escalates to 10% if the property exceeds 95% occupancy with rent collection. - PM charges minimal fees.- PM is contractually obligated to perform annual maintenance/inspection to keep property in top shape. - PM provides a cash based accounting report every month, for every unit under management, that clearly labels all rent, all expenses, including management fees, and the net directly ties to the amount of money deposited into my bank account.- PM is a licensed handyman, or has them on staff, and takes care of most unit turn work at a reasonable rate. - PM has no breakup/termination fee- PM does not take project management fees, except on large or complicated CapEx projects exceeding $5,000.