If you see their add on television or hear it on the radio, they probably don't do what you need on a regular basis.  

D)  Email  --  I have tried this before, and never got any acknowledgement or email reply back after that :)   When confronted, I got the same BS --  "internet issues / phone issues / never saw it"  blah blah. 2)  What is a typical/reasonable reason for a LL to get routine access to the unit (with 24-48 hour notice)... without it being considered excessive or deliberate etc?   

Do you perform regular property inspections?

As a regular buyer, I'd be worrying about matching the floors, or needing to re-do the entire thing ($$$).   

My opinion is that if you were to do some part time job for that 8 to 10 hours, or take on more clients in your regular business and save a couple grand more to buy a rental that cash flows well, you'll be able to build the wealth you want, albeit probably much slower.Also, one of the head honchos here at Bigger Pockets has a book called "How to Invest in Real Estate with Low and No Money Down" which gives a ton of ideas on what you could do.

Bryan Cork Reach out to Linda Weygant who is a regular on the BP forums and an all-star CPA.

In short I said if a deal doesn't cashflow with a regular downpayment % such as 20-25, throwing more money into it won't make it a killer deal.

There are definitely others ways to finance and perhaps get better returns, however, as I mentioned, this is assuming you would be using a regular conventional loan with 25% down payment.All real estate investments are on a case by case basis, make sure you run your numbers well, you must perform your due diligence on whatever investment property you purchase, as these numbers may apply to some but not all properties in Newark, NJ - Essex County. 

My vacation rental is 30 minutes away and somewhat remote so it's not checked regularly in the winter.

When receiving cash, always provide a receipt and make sure it itemizes what the cash covers.Unless there is a legitimate reason to provide the tenant with a receipt, we don't.We've only had one tenant request regular receipts and it was to show her case manager, related to monetary support she was receiving.