Hope this helps.

Buy in markets where you can hope to breakeven on cash flow and win on appreciation. 

Hope these pointers help you refine your data sourcing strategy.

I can see the OP giving this a shot.. but it is risky he could end up making a few bucks and getting experience might just break even or he could take a loss.. that margin is very thin in markets that are not selling as soon as you get CO  thats been one reason we have been profitable very few homes have been carried past CO so financing cost are at a minimum.. you hold a spec home 6 months past Co and every month your losing money you will not recover.

Hi Rosette,I saw your post from a few months ago and hope your investing journey is going well!

Hope all this helps! 

But we also do occasional drive-byes and annual inspections to see how the tenants are caring for it and hopefully catch anything that is potentially damaging before it gets real bad.Some of our clients prefer to pay for the lawn care and we charge a lawn care fee to the tenants.

The closed sales price (if it is recent, hopefully under 6 months) will be a good indicator of value for you.   

When we moved, we turned it into a rental, hoping this would be the start of our real estate journey—something we’d like to continue once my husband retires.Some key details:My husband is active duty and will retire in 3 years.We have one final move coming up this summer to Raleigh, NC.Our current debts are crippling us—the high interest makes it tough to stay afloat every month.The plan me and my husband are thinking bout:Sell the rental property.Use the proceeds to pay off all our debts, set aside emergency funds and a down payment for our next home.Free up $1,500/month from debt payments, and that also can stash in a high-yield savings account.Regain full VA loan entitlement, allowing us to purchase a multifamily home and use the house hacking strategy for up coming move.Avoid capital gains tax, since April marks five years of ownership, and the tenant’s lease ends in May.This wasn’t our original plan, and we hate the idea of using our equity to pay off debt.

Total Investment + Down payment of 69,000 + 20,000 of updates = $89,000.Hope this helps.