I also regularly attend the Fairfield meetups which are usually held on the last Wednesday of each month.  

As for the rent, according to Rentometer, there are currently identical apartments (same bed and bath count and square footage) in the same complex being rented out for $1,650 a month, so I think $1,500 is a bit below market price.

He didn’t want to pay my regular Tile guys so he went on Craigslist with my permission and got Tile guys there, AND LET ME TELL YOU, the job they did in those bathrooms were so top notch that I told the Investor that I will not bring my guys in to redo the bathrooms plus it will costs more because of the tear down and wished him luck. 

I’d explain that this can’t be a regular occurrence, as you have bills to pay, mortgage payments, etc - but you’ll try to work with her.

Think of it exactly the same as a regular IRA... you CAN access it, but the same big penalties and taxes would be due. 

This sounds like the identical problem I have been having.

That said, I have paid for enough $100 service calls that ultimately came down to replacement of the $5 flapper that I have decided to just buy a bulk quantity and replace ALL flappers in ALL my rental properties on a regular basis as preventive maintenance (I do the same with air filters for the HVAC because we all know how good the average tenants are at replacing those...).  

This is not really any different from any other REI source but it is very important to get right due to the limited information and time sensitivities of buying at the auction.I have to say while we regularly buy in multiple counties (4 this month), Harris seems to be especially competitive as are Dallas, Tarrant, Travis and Bexar. 

This would also give me way better knowledge of finance and ability to get good jobs long term, if I need to work a regular job.Can't wait to hear all of your thoughts, thanks everyone!

It was almost identical to the various software bug tracking systems.