Adding enough value to a property to be able to pull out your up front cash on a 75% LTV refinance on it is really, really hard without the tailwind of rapid appreciation.

This probably depends on the level of sophistication of your investors, but I would consider this a kind of "incremental analysis", similar to an incremental IRR calc that could be run on a staged investment. 

Cleveland is a great market if you're looking for cash-flow deals and the Columbus market is rapidly growing as a result of some of the largest players in the tech industry expanding and growing their business here.

I live in the Grand Rapids area as well.

REI has grown from 1 property when I left my w-2 to 10 currently and expanding rapidly in the last 3 months.

The only exception that is White Center but I am not sure if you can still find any 1% rule properties.If you're looking for path of growth for rapidly increasing appreciation due to zoning and density changes, the areas to look at are Beacon Hill, First Hill, Columbia City, Rainier, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood (where sound transit is going).

I'm in Canada and ours are a bit different, but if we have a 25 year mortgage, ours are renewed throughout that 25 years in whatever increments we chose (eg 3 year term, 5 year term). 

Fire selling the property - having a below market price that you KNOW the property will sell at, this is to avoid continually lowing the price in small increments and holding a property too longTurning it into a rental - this is just that.. finding a tenant Whole sale??

Sure, there is some redistribution of wealth going on, but it doesn't seem too bad or egregious with this bill.That's on the surface.The real problem is that the country is facing rapidly rising health care costs.

I am up in Cedar Rapids and would be happy to help you search for a place.