EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

And, as Nathan noted, you are likely giving up huge appreciation potential, which will likely never be replaced by cash flow.But at the end of the day, if you are in a declining market in LA and are able to find great deals in higher cash flow areas, taking into account the likelihood of needing to outsource everything and additional travel costs to visit the properties a couple times per year, and you don't really care about appreciation, then it could work for you.  

From a cleaning perspective, I can understand why any landlord would want to use a contracted cleaning process, no matter how clean the unit was at the time of move-out. 

It could be he is lodged and charged after which you can take possession based on abandonment/non-payment.It's always a good idea to use an attorney but if you spend the time, read the laws it's a pretty straight forward process to evict on the grounds you stated.  

My goal is to always help bigger pockets members save time and money.

They are in good condition but will need work as time goes on. 

You could buy out the partner over time using part of the cash flow generated by the property.Consider a silent investor who provides capital without day-to-day involvement.

She got a message a few days ago that said:"Also, not sure the last time you saw the property but the back deck has exposed nails on the boards - my husband stepped on one of them.

Before contracting on the lot, you should check with the local municipality to verify building requirements, current code requirements, list of required documents, surveys, soil tests, engineered plans, etc.Once you have identified your lot and finalized your estimate its time to build.You or your GC will get the permits.For the final build, there are 2 ways to build, as either a cost plus, or fixed price project.Hope this helps, let me know if you have additional questions.

Typically, the loan origination fee is a one-time charge that covers the lender’s cost of processing the loan.