We own a 2 unit house and tenants signed lease for 12 months. After 6 weeks they gave lame reasons for wanting to leave including my telling them they couldn't put Christmas lights on handrails on steps in front of ho...

The dog ate up and down the side of the patio door.

When I did the kitchen I just used the microwave or ate out .

I thought you ate lightning and crapped thunder?  

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.