There's lots of things that impact a short-term rental's performance and value that won't fit into that calculator, such as how many it will accommodate, does it have a view, proximity to attractions, are the roads difficult, etc.  

Hey @Chris Watson, got a question for you:What does it mean to 'secure the building' in your branch of the armed services?

After 6months of jumping through hoops of securing financing as a self-employed person, searching for the right property, getting the offer accepted, negotiating roof repairs with the seller to meet the FHA guidelines, I finally got it closed.  

When purchasing a rented property, what is the best practice on handling the rented units security deposit?

Also, if you're married the capital gains exclusion is $500,000You can also add to it the cost of any work/rehab you performed on the home that improved or extended the life of the house (known as the adjusted cost basis). 

I currently enjoy my W2 day job so I have no need for cash flow now, but still like investing in real estate for future financial security and potential early retirement. 

No doubt, it's a risk tho..Naturally I would much prefer something with less overhead that performs well, and I'm willing to buy my way into an established market, but then I'm starting from scratch, and frankly despite having some reasonable tools at my discretion I don't really know how to data mine the entire US.Now that the dust is starting to settle after years of being in the trenches with this duplex, it's clear to really make money with this you have to have a portfolio, as I read in an article from this site, 1 or 2 rentals ain't gonna do it.

Subject property + other colateral to secure loan... rehab with credit cards... sell or refi to payoff cardsHard Mondy rehab loan... expensive loan against purchase and rehab... followed by a refi.These are some ideas...

With an inherited IRA, you need to ensure the cash flow your real estate investment produces will meet your need for taking required distributions.Real estate can actually be a very good investment for an inherited IRA, as the principal is secured by a less volatile real asset that produces consistent income. 

One of the two stabbed someone at a gas station - I recognized them from the news article (they had security footage), and they've been turned in to the police (the police have all their info, but haven't acted on it yet).