I am currently replacing carpeting with tile, hardwood, and this extra-hard vinyl strip floating flooring (I think it' called allure).Good carpet lasts a long time--- if tenants don't burn it, spill red koolaid on it, or rebuilt their Harley on it.

But in truth 1% is almost HALF of the total paycheck if it's 2.5% (5% split 50/50 with a buyer's agent)I'd tell them to pound sand as well.

An upside to your fears about extra wear and tear, the whole subsidized housing program is such a great deal I would "think" tenants would be cautious not to ruin the place and risk the chance of getting banned from Section 8.I plan to get started in RE, buy, fix, rent.

It needs to have good appreciation, cash flow or it allowed you to make big $$s by taking that extra cash.

Unfortunate side effect for us is that we had to shell out an extra 200 bucks to keep the rate lock.

I pay close attention to what they select (remember, these are investors themselves), what they say about the property, the area, the rents the property will yield (I check the rents against what the PMs say - the PMs tend to be a little more cautious on pushing the rent numbers and if you weigh an additional month of vacancy against that extra $75 of rent, you will find a 1 year lease may break even for the vacancy holding costs - so I tend to price a little low for an area).

That's an extra 8.57% annual return, for 13.7% total.Price for apartments is driven by NOI.

Does this extra tidbit change the rules?

However, I can't help but think of the extra $1,000 or so a month I could save by moving into an apartment or a less expensive property.

I have yet to see or hear a single guru talk about the difficulties of the business or discuss the truth about operating expenses, cash flow; or other serious matters.Having said all that, you will certainly read many books and articles while acquiring your education and starting with one book as opposed to another isn't terribly important.