@Mark Doty One good resource I used to learn about insurance and various aspects of it was Every Landlord's Property Protection Guide: 10 Ways to Cut Your Risk Now (book w/ CD-Rom).

I think that's a fair compromise given what little I know about the specifics of your lease and other aspects of the situation.

I had thought of the College aspect since that's partly what made me like the idea since I live close to a college town here.

Also, if possible, plan to be on site while the inspector does their walk-thru.Lastly, for critical systems like HVAC, ask one or two actual contractors who want your business to take a look and report back to you.

I won’t weigh in on the dead-money vs. security aspect of what to do with the house.

Yes, I did my own bookkeeping, but having the CPA involved and able to answer questions was not only a great time saver, but gave me confidence that I could take on this aspect.

Feel free to post new questions or ask for help if you are looking for anything specific.Do you have any thoughts on what aspects of real estate you are interested in?

This is a rundown duplex in my area that caught my eye, I have an investor willing to cover the purchase price and rehab cost in cash. This is very rough estimate because I haven't even seen the property in person so ...

Thank you for the constructive criticism.

It will be critical to your profitability.