Including "living out their security deposit".They were some of the worst tenants I ever had. 

Originally posted by @Brandon Despras:@Steve Morris in the beginning yes it’s terrible but after you get a thick skin and get better at it’s a great tool Well, to paraphrase the Stoics, imagine the worst thing that'll happen if you call someone. 

They don't call Cleveland "the mistake by the lake" for no reason. 

But for me, it boils down to the rationale that when I fall on hard times when the black swan comes around, I will not lose that precious asset, even with the worst of situations hitting me, because only uncle Sam could take it away now, but compared to other bills, taxes are cheap (at least relatively, my property taxes are cheap for now).

Key criteria for a successful SFH househack:Suitable zoning criteria, i.e. room rental laws (county by county)Within 1 mile of hospital, major company HQ, public university, and private university (to attract 20-somethings)At least half as many bathrooms as bedrooms (i.e. a 4 bed / 2.5 bath could work, but 4 / 1.5 could get sticky)Plenty of driveway space / street parking (1 per roommate)Plenty of kitchen space (since the kitchen is the most occupied room other than individual rooms)Basement or side entrance entry point (i.e. if you wanted to turn the basement into your living space, you could enter from a side entrance)Un-involved neighborhood community (cul-de-sacs can be the worst spots)Turn-key quality (i.e. you won't need to fix much of anything when you move in)This list is by no means exhaustive, but things to think about when you work with an agent on a SFH househack.

I like to also look at the worst case scenario. 

If you move forward with an offer you should assume worst case scenario that you will add a tap to the city's line.

I signed a 34k contract and gave 20k to a man I didn't know and it was a HUGE MISTAKE.

I signed a 34k contract and gave 20k to a man I didn't know and it was a HUGE MISTAKE.

There is simply too much to learn about investing, too many easy but costly mistakes to make, to consider investing halfway across the country while learning the ins and outs.