Purchase price: $217,500 Cash invested: $40,000 Historical duplex with a bonus in-law suite.

I know Austin still has at least one of these Historic homes standing, but the actual farm areas have been turned into residential and commercial developments (long ago) and now it's a tourist attraction.

Simply choose a month and year and you can easily get results for Index rate of return with dividends reinvested.   11% for the historical average.  

Hey Francis, Utilities - you may be able to call the utility companies and ask for historical usage/costPMI - Lender should be able to clear this up for youCapex - the detailed way would include gathering the age of roof, hvac , w/h, appliances.

I would recommend to find some rentals close to downtown areas such as historical district and Alamo heights. 

In historic neighborhoods such as Seminole Heights, older homes hold their value much better than concrete block and are easier to sell, and yes, they have more maintenance...

Historically the RE cycle lasts 18 yrs.

Also check historical utility, water, and trash costs.Beware tax reassessment if purchase price is much different from assessed value for tax purposes.

So banks have much more incentive to lend and borrowers are still getting historically low rates.

Btw you really can't compare past historical performance to compare use againts CA property,especially Bay Area.