However, when the tenant moved out 8 months later, I had quite a bit of clean up and rehab work which ate into pretty much all my cash-flow savings.  

I know that brokerage keeps a percentage of the commission, the brokerage actually having the fee agreement with the client, on transactions where the the agent/brokerage is “a ting as a real estate brokerage/agent” for the transaction.  

A $50k Baltimore property carries aboit 10 times the risk of a $500k DC property. fine minds think alike.. its all big numbers and then your skill in management and picking the right area will fill in the blanks.. there is no way to proforma these rentals down to a tee to make a micro decision.. simply not possible.. bad winter... bad tenant.. state raises prop tax's  new bond issue who knows what..  

The 1%+ers had many unforeseen problems that ate into my returns and my sanity over the 10yrs I held them.

What ate up all my profits was maintenance and repairs?

Namely I could have looked at the precise wording of Ben’s email and worked to ensure expectations were clear for both parties prior to starting at E 16th.

(I was bidding against an investor and I ate an extra 2,500 on deal of Amerisave's incompetence.

So was this likely funded with cash and they had the reserves to let the property be vacant for 12 months and ate that as part of their costs?

If you ever asked a maggot that ate off the garbage truck what make him puke, the answer is what came through my car windows.

Turned out it was ate up with termites, black mold and the foundation was almost non existent. my realtor thought it was so bad that she called the other realtor that listed it immediately and said it needed to be demolished.