I definitely noticed that Cleveland Heights taxes seemed to be higher than some of the other areas, but it's encouraging to hear you were able to make it work. 

Will definitely take note of those and implement them.Thank you guys for the responses and encouragement!

I share all this as a bit of encouragement to my fellow real estate enthusiasts.

@Erin BonsellIt's very hard for folks to give any meaningful advice without knowing all the facts.

Maybe you are also spinning your wheels and wondering the same thing as me.My primary goal with this post is to look at the less glamorous reality that some of us aren't naturals and hopefully we can learn from and encourage one another.

They do not post negative information, whether a tenant misses a rental payment or not.I don't require my tenants to use it, but I strongly encourage it and point out it's an easy way to build/improve credit for a bill they're paying anyway!

I have a 15 year mortgage ( faster equity) and most likely able to bump up rent in near future to start getting some meaningful cash flow.

Unless you have very deep pockets, or have real meaningful construction experience, I would stay away from trying to do major rehab on your first property. 

We rehab and own mostly single family properties in better chool districts outside of the MPS Milwaukee Public School system, which BTW is very challanged and covers most C class neighborhoods.Cheap properties look good on paper, but I encourage everyone to look into the cycle of deferred maintenance, capex, tenant wear and tear, cost of PM, etc leading to a reluctance to re-invest in the property, leading to a lower grade tenant, leading to more wear, etc.

It's very encouraging to see all of the comments on the flip.