Then when the electrician was almost done, I'd ask for another $6k to match the progress of the work that you could visually see and verify yourself.

Then have your agent go the day before closing to make sure it hasnt been burned down/burst pipe and that the inside matches the condition during your initial walk through.

For the house your buy, your renter is paying the mortgage, so you don't worry too much about 15 versus 30 - you do the 30 to maximize cash-flow on your rental.When you run your numbers, you will see that putting money in the stock market (in a regular year - where 7% is the historical return) is never going to match what real estate can give you if you leverage properly.  

I also like having a few folks contracts and to mix and match.#1, I will NEVER do another sandwitch, or a buy via a LO from a motivated seller.  

I found an off market deal that matches all my criteria. current owner wants to sell to me but he has a seller financed deal between an investor and him already from a year ago. i dont want to simply take over the note (terms don't seem favorable at all to the seller) but i rather have the property itself. is there anyway for me to buy this property free and clear without taking over the seller financed note? 

The realtor will start sending you automatic emails when properties matching your criteria hit the MLS.Walk into a bank and talk to their mortgage officer.

I asked for quote for insurance whose insured value matches the actual value of the properties and was shocked by the prices (like a single family home I bought for $50K about 10 years ago whose value is like $250K, the quote is for $1650 with $5000 deductible). 

All the properties I found matching my budget are in neighborhoods with high crime & unemployment rates.

I have a house I am rehabbing and someone suggested I glaze over some tiles in the stove cabinet to make the colors match better with the kitchen.

If you can find someone with excess capitol but not the desire to be the workhorse it could be a great match!