One of my strategies will be to put money into energy efficiency to decrease heating costs, and increase my cash flow - Maine has some good loan programs/rebates that can really help tighten up a building, and finance efficient heating, so I'll be taking advantage of those.

It can be worth it to spend a little bit more on those items to limit recurring replacement costs.I hope that’s a helpful starting point.

I definitely recommend Columbus Ohio because there's still so many deals that hit the 1% rule, positive cash flowing, and quickly appreciation!

These homes are cash only deals though.

I'm a first-time investor interested in seeking cash flow and appreciation through rental properties.

.- My question is do I do a cash out refinance or take out a HELCO (the mortgage broker I used originally advised that)?

You do say that RE is 'generally' not worth it, so you got that right.

We are considering taking cash into our business to season for down payments on new properties.

Cash for them to leave?

If your house is worth $3,800 a month, then that's what you charge.