Should we challenge it?

In the current environment the renewals each year with a minimal increase have been a win -win for the landlord and tenant.  

Finding a contractor to move in mid job has been a challenge and so far I have lost about 3 weeks in the rehab process. 

Hey Mark, I don't think I am the best person to answer that question as many people know me to be able to adapt and work in any environment.

I'm not trying to minimize your efforts but to alert you to the challenges of marketing in most every community where there are so many buyers with money chasing so few opportunities at the the moment.

We do use a property manager for some that are too far right now for us to deal with, but they take almost as much time and effort as the ones that I self-manage, so I'll take those over when I have the time to build the proper systems there and have time to screen the tenants myself.If I found secure investments that could substitute for the income from our rentals without the hassle of dealing with tenants, I would consider it, but it's difficult in this low-rate environment.  

Go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a good job when you graduate, save for retirement, work 40 years for a company, you'll be okay.You're challenging that. 

I have a good grasp on what I can get siding, windows, trim, interior/exterior doors, decks, guttering roofing, flooring, landscaping and concrete done for and who to use/where to source materials, along with electrician/plumbing -- lacking site prep, foundation/framing/roof trusses cost -- I could get the cost of the rough in from a buddy who runs a plumbing co.My challenges are A - not being able to be there all day to run things, and B - still missing some of the key contractor connections.  

My big challenge I see in front of me is breaking into and building a network of local investors. 

I've heard mixed things about investing in low income neighborhoods such as the quality of tenants, the actual profit gained from renting in these areas can be low/minimal, and crime associated with these environments.