I don't want to miss out on opportunities because I'm locked into one single strategy.Regards,Nate Barbee

When I used to work with buyer's agents, they would normally just give out the lock box numbers so that I could go look at the homes (if they were vacant).

Put it in writing and put it in their business drop box (locked for safety reasons).

I am an Arizona investor that grew up in the Phoenix area and went to high school in Tempe.First off most of Tempe is somewhat older since its borders are land locked and cannot expand.

Locking yourself into a 15yr loan. 

Depreciation is a tax code device that allows one to recover the original cost of a depreciating asset over a finite length of time.  

. :)Apologies for not having a profile pic - I've just registered on my mobile device and will upload one later.

The internal shift I am feeling is like a key being inserted in a long locked treasure box.  

If you can still find a property in a great area that needs a lot of work and when you are done you have built in equity those could be a win.Owning low end rentals in average to suspect areas because they are cheap from afar is a recipe for disaster.If you are local and have a knack for dealing with bad areas and suspect tenants with lot's of issues ( most landlords do not have this ability ) then it might work.Another friend bought some for cash in Phoenix  many years ago and the values have doubled to tripled for what they paid.Bottom line many would say it's better to wait and find a great property in a great area then deploy cash and lock in mortgages an average properties in average areas just to buy something.

. :)Once you're in contract and able to actually lock a rate based on that day's pricing:* Figure out the cost of the amount of discount points you are considering, in dollars.