Your mortgage will then only be principle and interest.With this, you monitor the Tax assessor for appraised value and rate changes.We're luck in Calif as Prop-13 mandates the assessed value to be 1% of purchase price (fixed) so the variations are in the rate changes.For marginal cash flowing rentals, changes in appraised value or tax rates can be a killer.

We know that investors (landlords) come in many forms, from slumlord with short sighted goals to top flight owners who understand giving their customers full value for the rental dollar which I believe has the greatest ROI over time.Nobody ever said it was easy.

You need to know what it will rent for, what your principle/interest, vacancy, insurance, maintenance, and property management will be so you know it will meet your cash flow requirements before every purchasing.  

As an aside, Never bid on a house sight unseen, regardless of any "occupied, do not trespass, etc.".

I ran a hypothetical mortgage payment on a calculator and found that when making double payments (one normal and one principle only) on a 30 yr mortgage you pay less in interest then single payments on a 15 yr.  

I have a 55 GRM and after principle, interest, taxes, insurance, water and capital expenditures I end up with a 600-800 profit each month if there's no repairs.

Regardless of what you have been told by a resident, it is important not to deviate from your lease enforcement/collection process and eviction filing timeline.Any change in response due to a conversation may be construed as a precedent for deviations from the lease, which some courts may consider as an agreement "in principle".Be consistent.

A gift or an inheritance would be different, but the same principle applies.

To start with, again.....don't lose sight your brand and  product, market niche and customer expectations.

There's one very big principle of landscape design that all the rest of curb appeal follows and that is: The Front Door is the focal point.