I doubt you'll find people willing to keep a lot of $ in an escrow account under your control, but I think it's reasonable to talk with clients about their reserves so you don't get unpleasant surprises later.My current PM doesn't have me keep any reserves with him, expenses are taken out of the monthly cashflow and my account is "zeroed out" at the end of each month.

Maybe, just Maybe - IF you or your wife LOVED the house and it wasn't all business.BUT EVEN THEN - only if you were going to be there and could control the costs to some extent.

My perspective on leverage, since I am in the business of leverage (broker/mortgage originator) is if I can reasonably control the down side and maximize the upside with the terms/rate/cost at which I am borrowing at, such as using a fixed 30 year, limited or no prepays, lower margins, non recourse, caps on adjustment periods, risk/equity share, etc I am okay with leveraging near maximum.For me it comes down to terms and cash flow as long as the risks can be minimized and the cash flow profit spread is high enough and stable enough even with stress tests (market drops rents go down XX%, business income goes down XX% or my personal income goes down XX% can I still debt service?)

Remember you don't have to own a property to control it.Download BP’s newest book here some good due diligence in Chapter 10.

Wow - sounds like we all had a bad experience with these gurus (seminars), I have to admit - gotta come clean, I still go to them when I hear them advertise on the radio.

Remember you don't have to own a property to control it.Download BP’s newest book here some good due diligence in Chapter 10.

Remember you don't have to own a property to control it.Download BP’s newest book here some good due diligence in Chapter 10.

I know this all seems scary and new but when you are knee deep into a deal you need to take control or the other person will take the lead.So, pick a number you are comfortable putting down as your deposit.

They want to be in control of the due diligence process for their own purchase.However, it's all a negotiation.

Pros and experience people could, but I'm sure the law factors in that average home controllers can't and need time to get quotes.