I shoot generally for 1% for my cash flow properties in my market (The 2% neighborhoods are too high risk for me) and my appreciation play properties might be about half a percent.

(I'm only half kidding with that comment)TL:DRI'd say if you're going to be hands on with management (at least until you get scale of operations), and plan to acquire multiple properties, student rentals can be a great way to generate income, assuming you purchase in high demand areas and know you're numbers and make filling them you're number 1 priority.

The money situation worked out like this:New loan payment on Seattle house goes from 2300 to 2900 a month, 4 bedroom 2 bath houses are renting for 2900-3000 a month around where I live (3 miles from microsoft).I pickup the new house payment at around $3300 a month, something I can afford and will put some sweat equity into to force appreciate it a bit over time. 

About half of that $15K was lost...

Can my co-trustee and I each claim half of the mortgage tax deduction?

There is a house a few miles from me that has been flooded at least two times in the basement.

So since it was less than 50% of our total joint assets it was an easy choice for me to just keep that as 'part of my half'.One interesting side note; do your own homework in ADDITION to seeking professional help.

On my low-end stuff ($30k-$100k), I do half of first month's rent, otherwise no one could afford to move in.

IE you could put a ball down on the back door and it would roll right out the front door.. so imagine as a lender you get a house back half finished and all goofed up LOL.these are the realties when lending on new construction. not to mention your GC does not pay subs etc etc.It very serious in Orygun were a properly filed materialman lien is a super lien IE jumps in front of the construction loan... ask me how I know :(out our way we have banks that will do loans for owner occ ... but your not going ot get into them with a low down profile.. need substantial equity and a builder the bank approves.

Over that 65' the one side had dropped half an inch over 40 years...