Generally speaking, cash upfront is a scam used by professional tenants to put landlords into ugly situations.

I want to come off professional once I finally do find that deal where the numbers work.

Readers are advised to seek professional advice.

My guitar is dusty and i'd love to take a crack at writing book... available to catchup with old friends on different schedulesEverything about getting into REI comes down to goal setting.

Sure, it may go well, but if you fall on your face it could ruin you, and you need to learn enough about the real estate game to make sure you aren't making a mistake or getting sold up a river when you buy.Watch the podcasts, read some of the BP books on the subject, go to the local meetups and talk real estate with other local investors and industry professionals, read the real estate news, do your own anaylsis, etc.What you don't know CAN hurt you in this industry, big time.

I recently looked at a duplex and wanted to get some thoughts on if these items should be factored into the offer price:The water heaters were over 10 years old, both gas furnaces were over 10 years old, the water was not separately metered, the front porch (cement) had some cracks in it, and both units would need some paint and new carpeting. 

So you get first crack at it, but with a high bid why bother?

We offer the Professional Housing Provider designation of National REIA to our members.

Meanwhile, tax planning questions, if urgent, can be discussed with another tax professional.

The one thing they did communicate with me was to be careful making extremely low offers since I would be considered a professional and it could negatively impact my business, which made sense.