All this will help you to develop a business and lifetime plan.

Consider the percent owner-occupied in the area, the condition of the properties up and down the street, the demographics of the neighborhood, the feedback from your property manager, etc.

Analyze the lifetime cost, not the upfront cost!

In your example, $25k is 20% down on a $125k purchase.There is a relationship between closing costs as a percent of purchase price.

Property trusts are legal in all fifty states, but have certain state statutes.

One thing the real estate business can offer the well prepared is better lifetime financial security and financial opportunities - including flexibility.

And no matter how diligent of a saver you are, working a lifetime at a minimum wage job is unlikely to allow you to accumulate any significant assets.

Thanks both of you for input. my choice was not hardwoods for the rental, but regular laminate though as thick as i can get. this bamboo really wasn't planning for kitchen just exploring as easier than tile to lay. the bamboo has a50 year wear warranty, 25 year structural, can be refinished several times in lifetime, is comparable in price to a good laminate from an outlet. supposedly twice as hard as oak. has a13 layer finish that is more water repel ant than wood floors.The humidity issues they warn you about are the scariest to me and I am ignorant.

Technically you can bid zero percent, but the 5% minimum is not paid if you won with a 0% bid.

@Pat L Sorry $100 & $500 is probably a much smaller percent on your New York rentals.