It seems natural that the inland areas (Crestview, Niceville, DeFuniak Springs, etc) have lower prices, but the higher level of appreciation there just may be a diamond in the rough.

I've discussed these alternatives with a number of folks, both here on BP and in our REIA, and a lot of people seem perfectly comfortable with them.

Add on the convoluted and opaque nature of CDO's, other derivatives, SIV's, credit card and auto loan securitization and then top it with a government that threatens to change the rules and undo centuries of contract law and you've got a recipe for economic chaos.

But if you're trying a new contractor, it's human nature and expected that they'll want and require some good faith money up front, or after their first day of work onsite.Never pay more than 30% or 33% upfront, and that is ONLY if they have to pay for a lot of stock out of their pockets.

I appreciate any insight and alternative advice.Thanks-Ricardo Martinez

Alternately, you could assume 50% of the income goes toward operating expenses, resulting in a gross income of $650/month.

I just take huge risks, apparently.Now I've found lots of alternative CPC sources that aren't as ridiculous as Facebook/Google (as an aside, 99% of what you see running on these sites is material that they would ban, except they are being "cloaked" by affiliates...basically the ad revenue that sustains these massive companies comes entirely from people whose ads they explicitly ban..something you might want to know if you own any stock in them).

It's a natural step for you and you're in pole position to do it.

Naturally we'll fluctuate somewhat, but I wouldn't be surprised if it hovers around there.

Alternatively, I can probably increase rent to $2700/mo when it renews -- that's about max.I have no crystal ball.