(The hud closing process takes FOREVER.)

for a newbie ..the best property is the one that you can access as many times as possible before you close. having the property under contract and "acting" as an owner, contractors will talk to you ..you can get bids, quotes, do inspections, termite letters, radon tests, mold test, etc ...imagine bringing army of inspectors when an owner still lives there ..not possible. you control purchase price ...so make sure you factor all things you need to change, add, update into ur costs ...u need to discover as much stuff as possible. once u do 10 flips ..probably short 10 minute walk will be enough to get u rough idea ..but by that time ...inspect, inspect, inspect

If you plan on living there forever than i would buy on what YOU want.

But as you can see from your two comps its not the only factor.

That stuff is junk and takes forever to dry.The bags of mud that you mix are available in drying times of 20, 45, or 90 minutes.

Those are important factors to get the best feedback from the forum.

Both of those factors are deal breakers for me.

For Vacancy)= 12672- 2399(taxes)- 420(garbage)- 420(sewage)- 600(insurance) 1500(Maintenance & Repairs) = 7333NOI= $7333.00Cash Flow= NOI(7333) - Debt Services(3828)AM15yrs=3504Yearly ROI= 14.6% (9000down+15000rehab)/3504(cashflow) Factored rehab cost into ROI to get a true number.

They add up to 35% in additional operating expenses - I don't know if I'll be able to find any cashflowing properties in my market (New York, CT, NJ) due to price of real estate when factoring in that extra 35% - maybe I'm just not looking hard enough, or in the right areas.

I'm aware that when investing in 2nds one important factor for many folks is to make sure the 1st is paid current.