Paying a reasonable amount to assist in one's life improvement is not a bad thing, just don't do nothing else thinking this one thing is the 'cats pajamas' as DG likes to say.

The Real Estate Crash of 2008-2010 caused real estate prices to crash across the country - but didn't affect rent amounts.

I can accurately estimate utility costs as most util companies have estimated usages and amounts on their websites, but costs like maintenance, CapEx, make ready, etc., are much harder to estimate.

If you do decide to invest with what seems like a trustworthy sponsor the best way to do so is to start with a small amount of capital, observe performance, reporting, etc. and then increase your contribution on the next deal. 

Hey @Reid Laliberte,That's a heck of a deal and I'm sure you have a good amount of equity in it now.

Quote from @Victor Yang: If I gift a house, what amount will go towards the lifetime gift limit, the amount i purchased the house for, or the current FMV?

For foreclosures here in North Carolina, there is a certain amount of time that you can have a letter posted on their front door.

With the FHA loan you won't need a huge amount of your savings.

I do own two triplexes in Scranton, and I will say the one issue is that you are going to be taking care of the utilities normally if they are not on separate meters, which could take a good amount of money away from your overall cash flow. 

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.