Hi Everyone,I am trying to build out a 10 year "Portfolio Growth Model" in excel. 

) $0.00 $0 General Vacancy Loss 10.0% $9,240 Expenses Monthly Annual Fixed Electricity $0.00 $0 Water $66.67 $800 Sewer $0.00 $0 Garbage $15.50 $186 HOA $0.00 $0 Insurance $415.00 $4,980 Taxes $448.83 $5,386 Other $20.78 $249 Variable Repairs and Maintenance 3.0% $2,772 Property Management Fees 20.0% $18,480 Other Capital Expenditures (Reserves % Gross Income) 3.0% $2,772 Market Assumptions Market Rent Growth (per annum) 2.0% Expense Inflation 2.0%

As a result of my growth I got started with quickbooks as I wanted to track everything correctly and use their invoicing feature to bill my tenants and receive rent electronically.

Jami,  Curt is spot on, if your main goal is appreciation then look for jobs and population growth.  

The problem with Galveston is lack of job growth with a lot of rentals. 

I am just starting out in REI and was trying to build an absentee owners list, which from what I understand a difficult task in Canada

Becoming a real estate investor has its up and downs, it's risks and rewards, and of course the potential of living a life where I have the opportunity of owning my time and energy; by this I mean, eventually I will not be working a 9 to 5 job where I am constantly following repetitive task day in and out, and where I do not have the freedom to express my self and creativity.

Also, the goal is to identify source areas of mold growth (in walls, under canbinetry, in the HVAC, etc).

The Jersey Shore market has shown positive signs of growth through 2015.As of now, Jersey Shore prices are 29 percent below the previous peak, which makes now a great time to buy.Hurricane Sandy created an opportunity to update, and new construction reflects the lessons learned from that disaster.The real estate market on the Jersey Shore is continuing to show positive signs through 2015.

If you do pursue more insurance I suggest you read the fine print--don't buy just because it is the cheapest and make sure your agent has experience with investors who are not only your size currently, but also familiarity with investors who have scaled to higher heights because if you plan to grow, you need a proper foundation now or else growth will be costly and time-consuming later. as @Juan Carlos Quiroz Zolezzi says "all insurance policies are created equal" and neither are insurance agents...Feel free to reach out with any other questions.