You could get involved with other forms of paper such as seconds, non-performing notes, and tax liens.

Scott who's analysis spreadsheet mine is based off of.The numbers used are entirely based off the pro forma:Asking Price (not offer price): $233,000Down Payment: $58,250 (25%)Improvments: $6,000Closing Costs: $4,500Total Cash Invested: $68,750Total Rent: $3,525Gross Income (less vacancies): $3,232Expenses: $17,804 (50.39%)(includes 11% PM, maintenance at 10% of gross income)NOI $20,985Debt Service: $10,625 ($175,750 mortgage at 4.5% for 30 years)Cash Flow (with PM): $10,360Cash Flow (without PM): $14,627Cash on Cash (with PM): 15.07%.Cash on Cash (without PM): 25.59%Cap Rate (with PM): 9.01%Cap Rate (without PM): 10.84%I'd like to do the management on my first few properties to learn, however my minimum criteria has to work with a PM as I will eventually get one.My conclusion is that on paper this property is quite a good one considering its cash flow, cash on cash, and cap rate - especially when considering this is based off the asking price.I'd love to hear your thoughts.Thank you.Will

I put a sign infront of it and got some free traffic from the neighbor's ad in the paper.

Of course that goes in any market but reinforces the need to buy right.I get a paper called the Landlord Times that publishes stats on major cities.

The further in you get the more you're at risk of inflation and all you really have is paper.

So think about those costs as well....including periodic replacement of all linens,towels, dishes etc due to wear and tear.

Would you believe that on the day the closing papers were being sent to me, I received an offer.

They all refused to see why I keep certain properties, liquidate others and stay heavily invested in paper (for cash flow).

Please help me with the steps, I drove by a home that looked abandon so I pulled over went to the door and knocked.. there was a paper in the window that actually said the home was being treated as abandon although there was a mattress and other junk looks like someone is staying there I wrote down the address and went to pull a property report from realquest and pulled up zillow realquest shows the home is in foreclosure and zillow says its not for sale... what can I do now?

As to real estate, it is a commodity like anything else so if the structure of the dollar falls your valuation in green paper may be affected, along with the mortgages based on green paper and the "profit" based on greed paper but there will still always be some form of value in real estate.