There are great tenants with horrible credit scores that have never been delinquent, and some screening sights may not take factors like that into account.  

Shaquetta Chittams I know its hind sight and in a different state but I normally make my offers contingent on a home inspection set fairly quickly.

This was all within sight of my apartment. 

However, a crash can reduce that gain before you receive it. 2 - As we all know, mortgages are front loaded, so for the first five years, you really are paying mostly interest, and not reducing your principle.

The strip centers I see that struggle with lease up have a bad build design, poor access, not enough parking, bad sight lines from the road, low income area with all mom and pop tenants with weak financials versus regional and national tenants etc.   

Some of Dave Ramsey's principles really helped us  save up for our first investment.  

This is a helpful sight with great resources and I am new to the Real Estate but I am learning a lot everyday. woowee

Pay down that principle as fast as u can, until the payments allow you to start an aggresive savings program to have enough of a downpayment on a second property.

And I had never considered that it was done to balance the county's books although in hind sight it makes perfect sense!

Having cash flowing rentals provide monthly cash, mortgage principle reduction and tax benefits.