For a $1,500 SD, they would most likely ensure an amount close to $2,700.From my perspective, we should never move in a tenant who cannot afford their security deposit.

And the condo debacle in FL will be churning for quite a while as these rogue HOAs try to get realistic with deferred maintenance, new requirements, and freedom for people to use as they need to afford them.One thing to consider would be to 1031 all of them in a consolidation exchange. 

Especially in a market like Charleston where affordability has become a huge pain point in recent years.

Also, ask your agent for recommendations—they often have relationships with dependable contractors.Look for areas with a mix of affordability and growth potential.

In all my years of Property Management in one of the most tenant friendly Cities in the World, I bet there will be a lot of interested people, regardless if they are actually planning on buying in a tenant friendly City.My management style would be considered highly unusual as I approach these issues so that it becomes a win-win situation and take into account the human element of the tenant.There is potential for me to add more to that Podcast to include how the Portfolio did over the 28 years growth period (1998 to 2025) with real numbers.There will be things like making the Portfolio safer as I age by paying off the Mortgages and increasing cash flow, etc.I'm also a Cloud Software developer (Salesforce specifically) and will be employing a lot of A.I. in 2025.The RE Portfolio is cash flowing very well and I can afford to integrate experimental A.I. to test it out.Things like A.I.

Right now you have a market where existing landlords have all these properties at cheap prices where they can afford to charge less for rent than new buyers and many don't want to shock their tenants by jumping rents by $400+ in one rental cycle... so we are gradually easing those tenants upwards each year.  

I would advise you to save up and purchase a house.I'd look for a lower end inexpensive house you can afford and make it a LTR.

Median rents in Austin declined about 8% last year, I believe, and sales prices fell about 3% as well.If you’re willing to consider other markets in the Sunbelt, you’ll have more affordable locales to choose from.

Most of the easy "lipstick on a pig" transformations are gone - you're often looking at more serious rehabs to make the numbers work.That said, we do have some advantages: strong rental market (lots of students, young professionals), still relatively affordable deals, and good appreciation potential in many neighborhoods.

Our handyman team of 2 are moving out of state after working with us for almost 18 years to start/continue their real estate investment journey in a more affordable state.