Some say asking if the owner is willing to sell is soliciting and others say it isn’t so I was airing on the safe side but either way doing a bulk slip trace would save me some time. 

The property is a 5 unit building with the following information: Rental income is $4,000 per month or $48,000 per year totalTaxes are $375 per month or $4,500 per year (this is higher than current but factoring in that they will increase)Estimated insurance is $200 per month or $2,400 per yearExpenses: Vacancy 8%Management 10%Other expenses Landlord pays water at $400 per month or $4,800 per year Realize this could be a cost savings in the future, but want to analyze as isGeneral maintenance (including minor repairs on property) including grass and pest control estimate at $300 per month or $3,600 per yearCapital reserves for Cap ex (appliances, windows (52 windows on building), roof, siding, etc. which I based on building a capitalization table based on useful life of items and number of units) at $460 per month or $5,520 per yearLoan: All in after down payment the loan would be for $300,000Assuming 7% interest rateAmortized over 20 yearsThus comes out to $2,325 per month or $27,900 per yearSummary Income Per Year:$48,000Property Exp.

There are very seasoned investors on here who use a myriad of investment strategies.Also don’t be afraid to look at different markets, what’s hot and what’s not.

On a side note if anyone knows which Biggerpockets podcasts were great financing episodes please let me know.My predicament is that I have a 6 unit property for $150K three blocks from my house. 

I am a contractor and willing to help if someone needs advice on the construction side of the business.

Lack of ventilation is clearly causing your mold/mildew problem, so a functioning window will help, and the larger the opening the better.It does require a match on the exterior finish material to fill in the size difference, but these baths are always on the side or rear of the house, so it's not very noticeable.The fact that it's a different size and more contempo-looking than the older original windows, isn't a compromise on esthetics, either.

Roof lease agreements also tend to be one-sided towards the solar company due to all of the languages and requirements set by the financial entities involved with the project.

Truly west side like Portland is going to be hard to crack.

I’ve heard of people who only buy 20%+ CAP rates in Allegheny county, but that can go down to just a couple percent, eg: shady side.

On the same note, starting out you probably will need a deal first, I recommend finding a deal and partnering with an experienced sponsor, be on the GP side with them and learn while growing your investor pool.