Right now, Huntsville, Jacksonville, Birmingham, and Oxford are looking promising and fit well with our goals.I’m planning to visit these areas soon to check out potential investments in person, with my partner who lives in Anniston, AL.

Yes, it can feel like "wasted" money on months where rent is auto-paid and there is no maintenance to be done, but when you get a bad tenant or two or when deferred maintenance finally catches up to you, they certainly earn their keep.At your scale, you might be able to get a bulk discount with a good PM, especially if you can show how well your current systems are working and how they'd be needed less than usual.

The value of the property will impact this as well. 

Lease should also state that the tenant be in compliant with HOA rules and be provided that document as well to have on hand of the HOA bylaws, rules and regulations, so that if they do have an HOA violation, they be charged that fee and correct the violation [when it's their fault].

It is usually done at the same time, but will involve asbestos testing which can get expensive.Big question is - why not just leave well enough alone?

The second floor holds a bright bedroom with a king bed and en suite bath, a restful room with a queen, and a comfortable bedroom with two twin beds as well as a full bathroom.

I am a big believer in investing for appreciation (especially if it was forced appreciation), but $800 a month negative is just too much to swallow IMO unless that property was appreciating well over that every month and you had endless cash to burn.

This strategy could be particularly beneficial if it aligns well with your financial goals and personal situation.Reach out and we can go over your specific situation and goals to see if Fort Collins makes sense for you. 

Born and raised in New York; I have been working for a contractor for a few years now and have owned my own exterior cleaning business for 4 years as well.

I actually created a post on this a year ago which was not well received, so I'm happy to see we have more of a safety mindset on here now!