- so it put a new layer of work on the management staff.Biggest problem - winter came and I had a whole new round of freeze damage due to the way the meters had been installed.

Be aware that you can contribute to some of that 50% through your own time so you can get away with lower metrics on a small scale.

You can usually collect rent far in excess of your carry costs, but again, big ticket initially and not as huge an upside as some alternatives.

It is also tied to an airline mileage plan, so we reward ourselves often with free airline tickets!

I'm not sure how long you plan on holding the property but 10% may handle the maintenance on a high end place in the first few years but big ticket items start to creep up.  

As I've listened to their pitches & worked on creating a well rounded portfolio I thought a lot about insurance to cover my properties in case I die / something crazy happens!  

 $      4,800equals  Profit (round up).....................$    50,000When you sell a fix-n-flip, you hire an agent.

To me it sounds like you are taking steps to address the problems as soon as you became aware of them.Hopefully your HOA will pay for the big ticket costs.

Like a dozen homemade chocolate cookies just call or get a free or low cost lottery ticket (proceeds to a church donation),  Meanwhile you get is a chance to meet them, ask for biz or referral and go from there.  

What about the points that buy airline tickets?