Proud husband and father of 2 boys. (19 and 3) I work as a Project Manager for an industrial contractor.

The problem with the banks is they require two years worth of income on my taxes and as I mentioned, my previous years taxes weren't as high as this years and they average the income from real estate investments.

The information from 2015 shows average of $800/mo for the 2-BR units, and average of $450/mo for studios.

Instead, I would recommend that you charge a flat monthly rate to each tenant to cover your average utility cost.

You would have to average like 3 years per tenant to make up the lost revenue. 

Larger roof, more expensive fixtures, higher labour costs in more expensive markets.Keep in mind that everything about costs and income are extremely rough guestimates at the very best based primarily on industry data gathered over decades involving millions of investment properties. 

A lender will most likely want to see 2 years of full time employment and they'll average your commissions.

I would say at least 20% of the principal as seed capital. what is the average cost to buy in your market?

It will be a good way to look for a mentor and meet people already in the industry. 

for my RI and MA investors what's the average cost of putting in a new countertop in the kitchen?