If the deals are on-market it is nice to pay myself the commission as it reduces my price over-all but your still paying taxes, ect.

If you use an uninsured handyman for the bulk of your work, you may be accepting risk that is not worth the reward.

I use a spreadsheet with 5 different columns and some have higher than expected expenses/vacancy, or reduce the rents by 10-15% to make sure I can handle less than ideal scenarios while still making a healthy return.

` If you have a loan can you try and get the interest rate reduced or if you have paid on time sometimes the lender will put a payment on the back end to help you out.

Since property equity is not infinite, each interest granted results in equity being reduced.

Given the choice, I'll use electric water heaters to reduce the risk.Please PM me and I can share more info and advice.Rick

DocumentID=366780New mortgage regulations resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act will harm homeownership, reduce credit, and prevent credit-worthy borrowers from obtaining an affordable mortgage, witnesses from Habitat for Humanity, community banks and credit unions told a House Financial Services subcommittee today.

Haha @Jon Klaus ;) Or maybe the service is "reducing one's rental opportunities".

That would really ease the transition, and also reduce the amount of money you need as a cushion.

If the proposed loan won't debt cover to the lender's satisfaction then more equity is required which will reduce the cash on cash return, all else being equal.