However, I would read the early prepayment penalty clause, do a little math and see if a rate drop of .5 to .7 more than offsets the penalty.You might also wish to reach out to @Gary McGowan and drop in on one of his REI meet-ups when they spin-up again in the autumn.

I think a lot of people in this country get so far into debt because they never do the math to realize they have a negative net worth and owe more then they make.

Strictly from a math/ROI stand point:If you pay cash for $125K property that generates $1200/month in gross rents. 

I'll just continue doing my homework and take it one step at a time.

There may still be some financial upside to be had from making improvements and upgrades, cutting costs, and increasing rents, but I rarely see anyone obtain financing (outside of hard money) if they are looking to hit a financial home run by buying under performing properties AND obtain conventional financing on them.Lastly, while it is possible to finance large(r) loans as a "newbie", I suggest doing your homework on lenders the larger the loan becomes.

I honestly think you need to do some more homework before you start investing. 

Simple math:   (Average hourly rate) * (crew) * (days) * (8 hours) = Labor costThen get the material cost. 

It is most likely a miscommunication between roommates or some lacking math skills.  

She just never sat down and worked out the math to see that in her case a quarter of a point was only an $11 a month difference.  

I originally had my goal set to buy one property a year and to pay the properties off as quickly as possible and the two conflict with each other.Do some math and see how long it will take to pay one property off.