Hi all, We are currently deep in the process of buying our first home in Louisiana.  

From a RE standpoint WNC relies so heavily on FL and ATL residents as secondary home owners to drive the market.  

You didn't think about management, takes, capital expenditures like a new roof, tree roots cracking the foundation, replacing HVAC, vacancy, or evictions.

Many investors on here do it every day.You can find properties in southern California and many within an hours drive of SD that you can purchase, renovate and rent.  

She comes only 2x a month since she only deep cleans so I'm looking for someone who understands that I need to turn my home over constantly to welcome the next guest.

Document everything - and then have said document in hard copy, on a hard drive and in a fireproof safe.  

Comping a property is an art - especially in this market - and takes some time.A comp report is just a start to comping a property, you also have to get out there and drive the comps to see how they actually compare to the property. 

We do a lot of work in flood zones and from what I've heard regarding "stilts"(we call them pilings) is you're looking at 20-30k extra over a traditional slab with a crawl space....Most of our footings are within a couple feet of sea level so we've never needed pilings but if you're indeed that deep you defintiely can't pour a footing on top of muck.....The other concern is flood insurance - the lower your first floor elevation the higher the flood insurance - I'd imagine if your first floor is under 10' the insurance would be astronomical.....your best bet is to talk to an engineer, get a survey, and go from there.

The urge to help her and the urge to strike the best deal for myself will drive me insane.On the other hand, I know I can offer her something that perhaps others can't.- I can offer her a cash deal without financing contingency.- If she does a deal with me, she doesn't have to pay a 6% commission, or deal with open houses and various showings. 

We are "driving for dollars" frequently these days.