Also, a house that looks "flipped" but is being lived in is more attractive to buyers in my experience.

Honestly it depends on the price range your looking in.  I

If seller signs with this clause in it then you can offer cash and you have your exit built in.  I

If so the work they are putting in is pretty minimal (Basically just setting up a search/subscription and the MLS does the rest) so the compensation should be pretty minimal.If it's a property that has just been listed awhile but hasn't been cancelled/expired yet then they would just be compensated from the seller via the buyer's broker commission.

I own a house now for 5 years what we live in. I

On the other hand, you may also give notice (30 days if 10% or under, 60 days if more than 10%) for a rent increase.As far as the issues with contraction and expansion you state, if you have not, try diagnosing that you don't have foundation issues that can later cause more problems.Re #1:Flooring - what kind of kitchen flooring and How old is it and what condition is it in? Is

I am very new to real estate investing as well - as in I am still looking for my first deal, so there are some people with more knowledge than me.However, I would recommend a few things: First, finish editing your profile.

Investors were beating first time home buyers but once U moved up to homes that make zero sense to rent NUMBERS wise that changes back to a normal market.Where I see this in the reverse in is low value real estate markets were low value to me is anything at 150k and under.. they can flip flop go either way.. and investor dollars have propped up the market by purchasing what would have been 20 to 30 years ago homes that were only sold for owner occ purposes.. you pull investors out of some markets and they would revert to the mean. and what i mean by that is prices would crash hard.. as homeowners wont buy C D areas generally becasue of crime schools etc.. those values are propped up by rents and investors paying for a given cash flow.. and out of area investors especially.. what you think works  Say 1% rule or greater an out of area person may think .05 is just great.

The side I'm living in is ready to rent so I can move on to the next investment.

you have a lot to learn and now is not the best time to get in, i suggest taking a step back and educating yourself first..