Many of them have swimming pools but have been poorly maintained and don't seem to be utilized.

Some older homes can be great investments if they've been well-maintained, while others might be a money pit even if they look nice on the surface. 

The cheapest financing and easiest terms are still available for owner-occupants and you'll get some real-world experience in how property is purchased and maintained.

He responded by asking how she was doing in school.Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew.

For older buildings you would need to allow 60% of your gross income to maintain your asset.

I agree with Joe B. a land trust is much easier/cheaper to create and maintain while still giving asset protection.

Rather than sitting around while that happens, we are beginning to put together a plan on how we are going to create and maintain our "empire" as Heathen put it.Heathen/MikeOH,I hadn't thought about the impact a well presented business plan could have on the bankers.

Other people who need the same access might also be interested in the place if you maintain the changes.

I am always working on projects on the properties to keep them looking good and mechanically maintained.

He’s great guy we love to death, but initially found he’s awful at paying us in a timely manner.Rather than chase him each month for checks (I’m convinced he used it as an excuse to buy lunch for my wife), we just write our loans with him to pay everything, points and payments, at the end of the loan when his deal sells.We charge interest on the total unpaid balance each month (i.e. interest on the monthly interest and points) which very slightly increases our ROI but is in no way punitive and maintains our very healthy relationship.This obviously won’t work with a long term loan but almost everyone we do business with now prefers this arrangement.