@Marcus Auerbach  Marcus your dead on.. its a lack of new constructionand for the exact reasons you mention.. the low price inventory has been dominated by investors as you know.. look at any major mid west rust belt city and take a look at where houses sell for 50 to 150 who buys those  90% are investors.. so there goes your affordable housing its lost to rental stock.. plus folks that want to own their own home generally wont buy in rental dominated areas as the issues are complex and schools not so hot.. 

They can possibly get you near free insulation, door and window seals and a duct blaster/blower door test to see where your bad areas are. 

We focus on areas with good population growth, job growth, and median income is approaching 100,000 or more and on an upward trend.I agree Atlanta is a great area as well.In demand from my clients are warm belt states.

Who knows how many rental properties I might have under my belt now if I had started sooner.And, yes, I also think coming up with a down payment/closing costs is a big deterrent to most tenants.

That would save me alot of headache and put some deals under my belt. one guy called from a bandit sign and wanted to link up.

Cindy,I would suggest getting these 2 under your belt, putting a portfolio together, and then shopping around to try and get lower rates.

Thanks Bruce, Kelly,I live in a midwestern city that I love dearly but has been on the steady decline and I badly want to move (think rust belt, cloudy days, and cold weather).  

I have fixed overhead now related to my kids that I can't just cut if I need to tighten my financial belt.

So finding a successful and proven person who had several projects under there belt to partner with or hire as a consultant or the like to help you build your systems and processes to maximize your profitability. 

Once I get enough transactions under my belt I will get a broker's license so I can manage other investors properties.