Part of getting into REI is so that we can spend more of our time together rather than spending more than half our day at other jobs and commuting, getting to work together is a big part of why we want to take this on (and the potential that RE Investing has for financial freedom).My Concerns: I originally thought I would develop myself as a contractor and do most of the work myself at first, but when I consider the time constraints (holding a house way longer to do the work myself, and the quality of work suffering) I realize this isn't an optimal plan.

This will weed out the people who aren’t serious quickly for you.After that, we schedule a phone screening at a specific time.

The amount of work you put in is directly correlated to the speed and quality of your results!

@Ari NewmanAs you are only looking for Chart of Accounts, give me a call we can help virtually by sharing our computer screen. 

And it will be harder to find good quality tenants.

These numbers make so much sense.....the renters build my equity in the property long term while I get to pull 12% return on the cash i put down out of pocket.....If your'e familiar with many high quality mutual funds available in the marketplace, they average a 9-10% rate of growth.

Additionally, the gain far out weighs the risk if you have screened your tenants well.

I am looking for advice on screening international student tenant applicants. 

Also, your cash flow as is is miserable, i’d want at least 7% cash on cash, some people want higher (10%+) but if I’m paying down a lot of principal on a high quality property that is in theory a cash on cash return that I am just deferring until sale or refi.

SO, to increase your chances of acquiring a quality investment property, here are some pointers:1.