For the other neighborhoods I do not have any 1st hand experience in them but i'd imagine that other members here on BP can give you a detailed insight into them like I did with Cleveland.Good luck & i'll see you around the forums.

So before I offer my suggestion I should note that I don't have any first hand experience with this situation nor am I a lawyer or CPA.

@John Woodrich His parents have done flips and he's done hands-on work (he's 25-ish) and he'll be the buying agent, GC, and selling agent, in addition to bringing 50% of the cash funds (I'll be bringing the other 50%) Yeah, that Check part seems odd so I'm balking at that for now, as at this point we're not writing enough offers to justify sending EM.

Lot's of great product in warm belt states changed hands 5  to 9 years ago.

I didn't inquire into the details, but it would be my guess (given that particular state) that the owner was also sued.In my case, one of the reasons I have a property manager is risk mitigation (beyond wanting nothing to do with the day to day hand holding of tenants).

My question to you is this: If you had cash in hand to invest, would you buy the rental home you own or something different.  

Hey everyone!So, I had an idea and I need help to find out if it's realistic or not. I am currently reading Brandon Turner's "The Book On Rental Property Investing" and have just recently dove into the chapters about ...

See, generally, predatory lending, securities fraud, "company towns" (especially up in your neck of the woods), and environmental regulations.This, on the other hand, is government looking for a problem (mostly because a council member  got postcards and letters.

Would you ask "if it's really important at all to not lose the first few hands"? 

There are a handful of lenders that will do MF purhcases @ 80% LTV, but you will have quite a few more options if you can deal with 75% LTV.