REI is still definitly appealing, but if you don't have a car and don't want to get one (extra expense) and drive to work from it (extra expense) it might make sence to either just look into a personal residence or simply take a couple more years in building your liquid investments in preparation for a better deal down the road (I have to think that NYC is still over priced, but I have thought that about DC for a while now too).

We are experiencing our first eviction and wouldn't you know the guy appealed it.

I was working with a buyer's agent not by choice but because we'd worked together on another deal and he brought it to my attention thinking I might be interested.Before even seeing the inside, I could tell roughly what work needed to be done to increase rents and appeal, and asked him to see if the seller would consider financing so I could put more of my money into the rehab.

It's all about being unique while still addressing the actual needs of your target market.Find a way to appeal to your market subconsciously and you're even further along than the competition.

I would not allow them to paint for all the reasons already stated: 1) they just moved in, 2) it has already recently been painted and is still in good condition, 3) it sounds like it's presently a neutral color that would appeal to most people, and 4) you don't know the painting ability of the tenant (likely sub-par though).

I looked there years ago but high taxes and a bunch of work from afar on a property didn't appeal to me.

cheap is not always good...You may want to start by doing some more research not only through the BP forum (which is great) but online research with the area/market that you would be interested in..decide on a price point that you would like to stay within, check a few of the local real estate agency websites( sometimes they have the address) and you can do ride bys which will give you a chance to check out the area and curb appeal of the properties.

st was a 5 unit property and 2nd was a 8 unit apartment property (seller excepted an offer 3 hours after hitting the mls).So the question is dependent upon me finding the deal where the seller will finance and I can find a creative way to come up with the down.The most appealing that I have seen is an equity split 50/50 on monthly's and on the exit of the property.

I have a nice 6-plex that is pretty well hands off, but I still go over there and cut the grass just to keep an eye on the place and am always trying to find ways to add more value, improve the building or make it more appealing to tenants.

Trying to show a property that is occupied in may area sometimes is not as appealing.