It's not all that bad I guess but that's just about the same I would get in dividends by putting $20k into Fundrise or other of these syndication (Groundfloor is my preferred place at this point).Got to think about how tax, depreciation, etc. play into this but as a first pass, not sure what to think about the added headache that may come with remotely investing in SFH.

No excuses otherwise I know they are simply playing me and will never be worth while tenants.

I’m curious about your experience renting. you can...i basically just found a really responsible relative and convinced them to move into our upstairs apartment for the same rent they were paying at their old place. twice the size and much more beautiful. we figured it was best to charge less than market rent and have peace of mind with someone we knew to be responsible than to try to charge market rate and play russian roulette with tenants in the Bronx. 

Kind of a dead zone.

It might make your rental unprofitable Credit cards combined with HELOC is a great tool for financingbut you have to establish your credit first to play this game.

Refinance and pull out your dead equity asap.

As a cash buyer I don't have time to play 500 questions game with a seller.

In many cases they don't play well together...which is the reason for my questions.Some lamps manufacturers may boast that their dimmable LED lighting can be controlled using a standard traditional dimmer, in reality it is likely to be true only when some very narrow criteria are met.

Appreciation play?

@Teren Cooley if I may play devil's advocate for a minute....Does it make logical sense that someone who, presumably, owns a number of properties and lots, is going to sell you, someone he's not related to, for 1/5th of its value?