@Chris StromdahlIt depends on the condition of the carpet when they moved in, the age of the carpet itself (was it on the 8th year of its 10 year life), what additional wear and tear they created (above normal wear and tear) and were the pets allowed.

Like others my age during this time I have substantial debt from student loans and at this rate have little possibility of gaining any traditional forms of financing.

In this day & age my office goes w/ me.Regarding only buying from a licensed agent- Honestly if our analysis shows a deal is worth it, we're not going to pass on it.  

I didn't find him in the local police stations and I'm surprised none of his workers (college aged guys) haven't come for their things either.

We worked evenings and weekends fixing up junk properties, despite being more than a dozen years my senior he was tough as nails and could outwork guys half his age. 

I make more per hour than my age and have all the benefits in the world, so money isn't an issue thankfully. 

Age?

Pipes can eventually start to weep (similar to aged cast iron).Buying a property with galvanized plumbing, or old cast iron drains, is not a deal breaker, but you need to budget their {maybe not immediate, but near to mid-term} replacement into your cost modelling of the property.

I hope to maintain a comfortable lifestyle going forward with these investment and be able to fully retire at the age of 46.If anyone has some recommended resources in the area (REIA meetings, groups, etc) I would love to hear them.

I also have an in-house application that I use to verify information that smartmove isn't going to do, like call employers for salary/employment verification, but the smartmove credit/background check takes the entire thing out of you having to worry about it - and the tenant pays the fee directly, so you don't have to deal with it.