I am a big believer that someone should start by investing in their own backyard, but seeing as MA is very expensive, you may opt for somewhere else. 

Not sure about PA, but in NY if there are any lights in common areas the landlord needs a separate meter - you can just go count the meters on the house, if there are 5 then you know there is one for common areas.I wouldn’t use cap rates for a four unit, use comparable properties if possible.

By year 5, I will have a 100% overall return on my initial investment of only $24k!

Looking for some opinions please..I am on track to close on my second investment property (3/2)  in a few weeks or so with flexible plans for the Seller to rent it back at a discount for a couple months. 

Those efforts have a way better return on investment!

To me, any liquidity qualifies: bank letters, bank statements, stocks in an investment account that covers down payment, etc.Today, I got a letter from a hard money lender saying the buyer is approved for 1/2 the listing price of the property.

I'm considering out of state investing, since DC is a fairly pricey market. 

What is your goal in investing?

Wanting to get into investing instead of putting all $150k into my next primary residence.

I've put down several houses worth of laminate & engineered floor before without having this problem -NOT happy.