Its a lot of hands on work, and you have to be very very careful with the house you buy. 

You have to be careful, especially if the contractor is not a referral and you "found" them online. 

Good tip on the conventional guidelines.

I find that the best lenders/brokers out there are the ones that care about you as the individual and are willing to cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship that lasts a long time.

Another strategy but it’s something I’d be very careful with because I’ve heard of a lot of people being taken advantage of by unscrupulous contractors is to find a very low cost of entry location, think $5,000-$30,000 single family houses that need renovations and then rent them out.

Care to compare notes?

I'm embarking on my first direct mail campaign and I'm looking for some advice or tips & tricks.

If you don't care about appreciation at all you should look at Cleveland, OH.

Meaning, would a bank care if the first mortgage was in someone else's name?

Both to maximize profits (two rents) and incase we need to use the property to care for aging parents in the future.