I went through the same thing 2 years ago, 8 months with almost nothing, got hit first because I was doing repairs for water damage/ mold on new homes for big devolopers ( D.R.

Yes, the inside can be trashed; there can be hidden structural damage; mold; lead paint (oh no!)

Well one of the things I noticed about that chat is that you can't effectively idle in there.

The compound effect of taxes is a phenomenal drain on the economy.

I have subscribed to my local city legal newspaper and I am wondering if it is more effective to campaign to the people who have just had Lis Pendens filed or the records of the Foreclosure sale itself.

You have an obligation to "mitigate" damages...in other words, you need to make reasonable, good faith effort to re-rent the unit.

However, let me tell you, I've done some cleaning up after tenants and it can take days to clean up their filth and hundreds of dollars to repair the damage.

Vacancies, economic vacancy (like the "two months free" you mention), advertising, utilities when vacant, evictions, tenant damage (brand new or not, tenants can still do damage), CPA, Lawyer, maintenance, property management, etc.

Unfortunate side effect for us is that we had to shell out an extra 200 bucks to keep the rate lock.

Heaven forbid something would go wrong and a tenant would sue you for damages from improper repairs.