#1 How do people calculate things like the cost of updates in terms of increase rental value.

In terms of generalities, yes fairfield is a decent area and Hamilton gets all the benefits of being commutable to Auckland so capital growth is strong. 

You are paying down a significant amount of interest in terms of dollars over the life term of your loan. 

If strictly cash flow is your goal there's neighborhoods about an hour from the city that you can get close to the 1.5-2% mark speaking in terms of monthly rent over purchase price. 

----In terms of buying expensive houses and praying for appreciation...You're playing a dangerous game there...What happens as your taxes go up as a non-OO...and your holding costs start mounting...What if it takes a couple years for prices to ever go up. 

does it make any different in terms of quality of prospects I get from agent vs property management company?

As a home buyer, your real estate agent will use it to help you find properties for sale that meet your criteria.Being a first time home buyer is typically applicable in terms of mortgage loans: certain loan programs are only open to first time home buyers.

It really is very flexible in terms.  

Always good to talk to a couple of different lenders and get a feel for them....Previously, most lenders were pretty much mostly close in terms of interest rate but now there are bigger swings from one lender to another, sometimes an entire percent difference or more.Best of luck!

This would put your maintenance hassles very far out in terms of years.If you're interested in chatting more about real estate opportunities here in Spokane, let's set up a call.