Sand, oil prime, and paint, and you'll never know it's there.

Is it a crime to harness a natural resource to reduce dependance on foreign oil that supports terrorism?

No oil changes, no belts, etc.

Phil,Before you get roasted investing OOS using the 1% rule, please allow me to throw in my 2 cents:Say $700/mo/unit for a 4plex asking $280k. 

Crazy idea... with oil in the 50 buck range... 

Bitcoin, gold, oil & gas, the stock market...However they are ALL far more risky than apartments in my opinion. 

I switched to oil and gas and still really enjoy it 10 years later.

I live in Chicago area.Best,Oliver 

But really, I like to put a couple drops of essential oil inside a dust mask to deal with the stench.

So I proactively replaced them at the beginning of summer so my tenants could enjoy new units.Roof = 25-30 yearsHVAC = 4000, 20-30 yearsFlooring = 1500-2000, 10 yearsPlumbing = 4000, 20-30 yearsFixtures = 1000, 10 years (I'm assuming this means all faucets and light fixtures)Water heater = 600, 10-15 yearsAppliances = 400, 5 years (although I'm not a big fan of supplying stove/fridge)Components = 1000, 15-20 yearsStructure = 10000, 30-50 yearsKitchen = 3000, 20-30 yearsWindows = 3500, 30 yearsPaint = 1000, 5-7 yearsLandscaping, 100 per yearOverall, the net is that as long as you are on top of maintenance items, make repairs and proactively replace things (and keep adequate reserves to do so), your $30k house will continue to generate cash flow like a little oil well.