I have been to many of these events as an invited guest .. and people do get caught up in it..the one I went to in Vegas the Vegas summit that had the flippin Vegas show stars that showed up for a cameo.. they did about 45 minutes of Q and A and they were out of there.but again what they did in that market and whats reality today is just apples and oranges..

I tried to make this as “apples to apples” as possible.OPTION A: Wife rents an apartmentRent & utilities: $800/mo.Housing expenses after 3 years: $28,800NET EXPENSES AFTER 3 YEARS: $28,800OPTION B: Buy duplex, wife lives in one sideNOE when renting out one side: $465/mo.Housing expenses after 3 years: $16750Initial down payment for purchase: $19600 (including $10k in closing costs/repairs)GROSS EXPENSES AFTER 3 YEARS: $36,350Down Payment Equity after 3 years: $9600Debt Service Loan Paydown: $4650TOTAL EQUITY AFTER 3 YEARS: $14,250NET EXPENSES AFTER 3 YEARS: $22,100Difference between Options A & B: $6700, or about $186/month.So, understanding that “anything can happen” in landlording, is the $6700 savings worth the extra responsibility and PITA factor?

All bids should be apples-to-apples.What are you getting confused about with the bids? 

You could continue holding the HELOC and paying the IO payment until rates drop again but if you want to free up your HELOC to purchase other properties or use it for other purposes, you cannot.2.

Discount/buy-down points are discretionary to the buyer and should be zeroed out for an apples-to-apples comparison.

@ Andrew Schultzthe handyman may not be licensed to perform the trade you require, so it's not an apples to apples comparison, especially if talking about a project that requires a pulled permit - i.e. new roof or electrical panel replacementso, @ Mike B.

You need to compare apple to apple in terms of job growth/demographics/population stats/neighborhoods etc for both cities before narrowing down your choice of place to invest.

If it's i/o, that'll mean paying it down instantly drops your payment.

I don't have extensive experience with any one in particular but depending on which OS you're familiar with or currently using(whether your an Apple or Android user) you should find several to choose from in the corresponding App Store.  

This can be tax advantageous for them (minimize capital gains), allow you to get better financing/manage cash flow/negotiate on terms (IO months, etc), provide them long-term cash flow secured against an asset that they have knowledge about.Have you considered bringing on a partner who provides capital/re-positioning experience (you provide the sweat equity and your existing share in the building)?