Hello,I own a duplex and I just recently had a tenant move out and now it's time to consolidate the security deposit and I had a few questions and suggestions on what items can and cannot be deducted in Minnesota. 

what is the best strategy for securing financing on "condotel"?

Would it be in the stock market that you and I can't control, giving your money to the insurance company and have your earnings eroded by high commissions or invest in alternative asset such as real estate (BTW, you don't have to be the owner of physical real estate, you can be a private lender so your loan is secured by real estate, you can buy tax lien, invest in a syndication, private placement or note fund).

I don’t want to read through hundreds of posts to find the answer to a simple topic such as “What kind of security camera system do other investors like?”

If you secure financianing after winning, all I can say is make sure the lender has some experience with auctions and the type of properties you are looking at.4.

Take first, last and security if you can and try to get a parent or co-signer if needed.

Should I focus on securing the down payment from Investors first?

I have a question about closing costs...I've reached out to 4 lenders and secured pre-approvals with each to compare their rates, fees, etc.For a 25% down payment with 1 point on a $200,000 investment property, they're estimating closing costs between $7000 and $8000 (which includes prepaids, insurance, etc.). 

Since the equity is not helping you gain anything outside of security if you are comfortable with a little of risk on the property you could leverage to increase your income.

I would now like to try to collect unpaid utility bills and damages from a tenant, but I do not know where to start.Here's where I stand...The tenant moved out on July 31 leaving unpaid utility bills and damages of $723.29 (in addition to his security deposit).