Ask if they upcharge maintenance, charge to go to eviction court, post notice, etc. etc.

.- Inspections: Some programs require annual property inspections to ensure compliance with their standards, which can occasionally be demanding.- Damage Risk: As with any tenant, there’s potential for property damage.

To be honest, I´m in the Maintenance & Construction for corporate businesses for some US companies in Mexico and we do some Real Estate down here also, but it´s way much different than the US, so I have much to learn from a lot of people around here and as @Julio Gonzalez, I think this is pretty much the right pad and place to start and to break my fears to start all over again from scratchAlso, I´ld like to hear more from @Justin Brickman why he voted for his city, pros and cons, it will help to read from a local...As I said before, thank you all guys for taking the time to write in this post and share some experienceDo you plan to owner occupy. $40k will not get you a non owner occupied San Diego property unless you find some unlikely alternate financing.

Now this is an annual thing (for all new properties).For rough math, you can generate a tax write off about 15-20% of the real estate value: one a million you can expect a $150k to 200k write-offs.

LTRs with long term conventional financing and standard management aren't really cash flowing anywhere right now. sure, there are lower cost markets that look better on paper, but there are costs associated with those supposedly cheap markets as well - deferred maintenance, more challenging tenant base, higher cost turnovers as a percentage of the rent.2. i wouldn't pick a random market thousands of miles away based solely on statistics or numbers. 

Funds can offer returns through cash flow and appreciation without tenant drama or maintenance calls.REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts): These are more like investing in the stock market but still tied to real estate.

A friend of mine recently got a $2M umbrella policy for around $300 annually by bundling it with home and auto insurance; it’s worth exploring.Out of curiosity, are you primarily investing in residential properties or venturing into commercial spaces?

The house has a lot of deferred maintenance.

In 30+ years we've been sued 1x (legal blackmail over a tenant's drunken trip/fall) which the insurance company settled for $1,500.00).We've been using some privacy tactics to keep our names off the county recorder and the target off our backs.Further, we review our insurance coverage and premium annually, just to keep on top of any changes.As with all insurance, it seems to be a waste of money... until you NEED it!

Also, this would only remove the mortgage debt itself from your DTI if it was to work; you would still be hit with a liability for the annual taxes, insurance, and HOA fees (but also receive the benefit of the rental income).