I like that you pointed out all the positives and negatives for a fair balanced post that will help other investors evaluate future options.I have been posting for a while on how hard the North Alabama market has become, and this post shows a good example of it. 

This is straight from the CFPB website: "Additionally, for 60 days from the date your loan servicing transfers, your new servicer cannot charge you a late fee or treat the payment as late if you sent it to your previous servicer on time or within the applicable grace period."

Everything I see for the northern VA area and beyond market is just so unattainable; it seems like unless you have a down payment, that is way way way more than 20 percent, there is no way to get any positive cash flow.

There are plenty of websites that can give you a good idea of property values in your area.

You can find the most recent sales price for the property on the local tax records website or by doing a quick search on Zillow.

We pride ourselves in keeping the forums positive, helpful, and focused on real estate (please, no politics, religion, etc.).

You MUST understand this as the suburbs are usually much nicer than the city.All of these challenges are why we have a map of Metro Detroit on our website with the cities in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne Counties listed, as well as 183 Neighborhoods in Detroit.The majority of the 48235 zip code is Class C, the question is, do you understand what that means?

With your background in the Air Force, MBA, and construction, you're in a great position to launch a real estate venture.

Make sure your rent covers all expenses for positive cash flow.

I recognize this is not the sole source of return, but the other sources have their return increase with smaller equity position.