In a BP article last year, I discuss Three Key Routes for Passive Real Estate Investing .

Those are the three MUSTS that I am looking for.

Three things:Appraisers can't compare SFRs to duplexes any more than they can compare duplexes to space ships.

Using the QRP oans get you the second tier financing options, for example, a Roth IRA can buy real estate on leverage, however, will need a non-recourse loan which is often a fraction high-interest rate and lower LTV.

We have three SFH, three condos, and a duplex. 

Can you inform us of the heating type and what the three meters feed?

We talked to three banks, two said no, then we got financing with the third. 

I'd just ask what condition the property is - if it's not turnkey then the 5% for capex, maintenance may be too low (and I agree with Cade that vacancy should be bumped up a bit too) - 8% is where I'd start with those three, being as conservative as I am.Who is paying utilities and associated costs? 

I found three books so far that seem to touch on these topics and wanted to see if any BP folks have read these or can suggest an alternative before I invest the time/money.

If you start out with three to five good deals that you've been able to quickly do some value adds, you should be able to start buying with cash, and from there you are only limited by the number of good deals you can find.