I'm a Recon Marine and have attained a lot of lifelong injuries (and cool pictures) over my career.

@Chris Mason this post was really meant to help my wife and I pull the trigger on getting into real estate.

Complete the analysis process on those "sample" properties so you can determine exactly what price point, property condition, and market best fits your investment plan when you're ready to pull the trigger.  3.  

It covers the fact that the property is sitting there vacant and that during rehab things might go missing (tool & materials thefts) or damages / injuries could occur (like a fire).

There are too many ways for things to go wrong , including poor workmanship, injury claims from an unisured worker to exactly what is going on with your situation.

If you cant purchase it for the right price and increase the rent then I wouldn't pull the trigger on this deal.

I have personally never used this strategy yet, but I'm ready to pull the trigger if I need to.

Plus the PM will be your key person to discuss with before pulling the trigger on a property.

We are serious about investing, but we want to approach it methodically and really take our time to understand markets and strategies before we pull the trigger. 

I'm 29 years old and just pulled the trigger on my second property.