also I should add that most regular non-investors (and many investors) use PITI when talking about mortgage payments. when he says 2600, he is more than likely talking about PITI. this is the nearly universal assumption when talking about "mortgage payment"

Aditionally, I have found that having a regular income makes you less deal hungry, and able to pass up on bad deals.

What I do is charge a pet deposit which is basically a larger deposit and is not returned any differently from the regular deposit (return subject to normal wear and tear limits) and I charge a standard pet fee that is non-returnable which is like pet rent.

And that is a great investment setup you did.It's really not difficult to do a regular job + do what I've done.

I see her go above and beyond regularly.

In fact, if you approach regular folks with slick, high polish campaign and you talk really fast, you might come off with "salesman breathe".

If the bank will not accept the short sale amount I would be able to pay to make this a successful flip, can I assign/sell the contract to a buy & hold guy OR even a regular home buyer who wants to live there with their family and is NOT an investor?

I do browse the craigslist occasionally but not regularly.

Even though the property is repairs, I always run my numbers assuming the tenants are going to move out the day of closing and then I will have to make the necessary repairs to bring the property upto our regular standards.

Just regular MI.