When we did the competitive rent study portion of due diligence we found there was a rent pop for a/c and right now we're trying to figure out how to install a/c permanently (powered off the tenant's meters) at a price that makes the investment feasible.

As a hypothetical: if your total mortgage, interest, taxes ends up being $4.5k per month and you can have each person paying $1,200 then your personal portion is $2,100.

Our goal is to (eventually) have a second property where we can spend time at our retirement, and that can generate some income as a short-term rental for a portion of the time when we're not using it. 

Also – that $200k is only a portion, say 50%, of your overall savings portfolio.

But I will tell you my secrets to making a success in business in general.1) Spend as little as possible on things that are not absolutely vital.2) Don't hire anyone on a permanent basis until you are making money.3) Don't release any software until you are absolutely sure it works.

Well Blacke, it was not a "rule" only a hypothetical to get people's opinions on the matter.Either way, I agree with you that learning hands on really is the best way to learn, but having a coach to ask questions to or guide you through is also vital to your success.I think your offer to get taught and give the teacher the full profits from the first deal is great, however, many have "offered" that very same thing to me and in the past I took them up on it.

There is a portion of the industry that works to the side of pushing tenants out so that they can collect more rental fees.

If I simply break even on each house, if I'm able to employ the 13 people I want, if I'm able to give people that second chance they are looking for, then maybe I can fix my portion of the world, one step at a time.Maybe other people in this industry who have made alot of money will do their part too.Here's a question: What the average upper level management bonus for a REIT fund manager?

I started my entrepreneurial career with an offset printing company which I had for over 10 years, sold out to get into what I really wanted to do - Real Estate, but kept a small portion on the side for extra cash flow.

If she said this was a long term investment and only a portion of her savings, then those investments become more appropriate.