The early termination fee, from other Property Management leases and forums that I reviewed is to 1) discourage a tenant from breaking the lease early in the first place but financially 2) cover the costs of advertising, showing the unit, etc involved with re-leasing the unit.

The market is still pretty heavy sellers market.

Jon - welcome in advance ...the 15 min drive time you initially mention is a bit unrealistic  as  getting a few miles in that time from SLU is a rare  accomplishment …..I live in NE Seattle  ... 6 miles from my office in SLU area and it normally is a 30-45 min commute  driving  …..light rail from husky  stadium is great as I can get to office in 30 min  with a 7 block walk from Westlake  station …1.2 mill budget   should cover most of the  North / NE and NW areas of  Seattle proper  …...some other neighborhoods / areas worth a look  include  maple leaf ….Ravenna ..west seattle  ( longer sommute from here ) ...Laurelhurst ...view ridge ..wedgewood if needing financing - get  pre approved  in case you need to make a move on a property quickly  good luck and  feel free to call or email with any questions 

Normally I suggest listening to the podcasts or reading the blog posts but it sounds like you've already go that covered :)As far as networking, Bigger Pockets has a great member search feature you could use to search for members in Rhode Island, then you could reach out to some directly.You could also attend a networking group in or near Rhode Island such as RIREIG or Black Diamond REI.

remodeling an older house, and it has a small covered front porch. 

However, I mark up the rental price to cover the cost of the HOA, if that makes sense. 

Also, City of San Jose wants covered parking, but do you think they will be OK with a carport?

As long as your expenses are covered by your tenants, you are making money.

In fact, you need a certain number of occupied lots just to cover “fixed expenses”.

Even if your lease doesn't explicitly state the tenants may not park in the driveway or block other cars, if this was covered verbally the rule still applies.