If you make a net offer that you think gives you $5K in profit, but you've neglected $5K in transaction related costs, your profit could disappear.Have you every bought or sold a house in TX?

It's kind of hard to respond to your post because your not very clear on your investment objectives or what you consider a deal.

I note that Rentometer.com has a much more conservative estimate for rent than zillow.com, I'll be looking at its data more completely tonight.In the meantime, how do you decide on deposit amount, relative to rent?

This turned out to be a relatively painless fix, but it taught me a valuable lesson: Always assume half of your revenues will go to repairs, maintenance, and other expenses.

An attorney friend suggested that things might get murky if I refund the original roommate's security deposit and accept the new roommate's security deposit when doing a sublet (she doesn't handle property though and is a relatively new attorney).

A home office deduction is based upon the square footage of office space over the total square footage of the home including basement.You may deduct miles related to a rental from property to property.

Bank will likely not make repairs or related concessions.

If he doesn't black out the price, I now know how much he's making, and that factors into my decision to negotiate and how.If he blacks out the price, I'm fine with that and will negotiate based on other information relating to the deal.

There are many threads relating to this subject.

- People like the relative security and stability of a paycheck- it takes some money to get started, not everybody has it- You will technically be a business owner, that's for sure not everybody's cup of tea- scared, like Rob said; not knowing enough or not interested in investing the time to learn enough- If people have money to invest, they like to diversify and not put all the eggs into one basket/house.