I've done some extensive top-down research on attractive cities for single-family or small multi-family (duplex, triplex) buy & hold rentals and Philadelphia has come out on top.I'm looking to understand what would be a reasonable gross cap-rate to expect when investing in Philadelphia given a budget of $150K - $200K.

Smoking does extensive damage to a property.

@Jahan Habib, Granites Of America in Smithfield has proven to be very good and reliable with a large selection of granite from very cheap up to very expensive.  

The service provided by a team like New Western is quite extensive when you look at the amount of work that is put into providing "ready to go" deals that require a simple yes or no, rather than multiple offers or bidding blindly with a distant listing agent...."

I ended up winning the online auction 3 weeks later.Closing took forever and I almost lost the deal countless times, near the end I even put my $3,700 EM deposit at risk to get extensions.

Sometimes Google maps can be helpful (right click on it and select what's here).

, and run long extension cords to neighboring households.

When you select your market just do the average property in that neighberhood.  

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@Marsha SegreeBelow are 3 things to consider when selecting a custodian/administrator for a self-directed IRA or Solo 401(k).1.