BUT I kept a room in every home so I could come & go plus lock up the tools etc I needed for rehab.

I have a real estate portfolio with good amount of equity (most of the portfolio is free and clear), however my personal DTI ratio is too high and that's stopping me from tapping into it to settle some debts and buy more properties.

They also do a harder dig on your financials as they're not trying to lend the high leverage to just anyone. 

Sometimes, a more expensive home with lower property taxes can be more affordable than a cheaper home in a high-tax area.

Price points were too high, numbers didn't make sense from an investment side (running a negative just to hope and pray the appreciation will be there).

Start by targeting high equity homeowners, not properties for sale on the MLS.

I want to know if  there is a high demand and if homes are renting easily.  

We advise landlords to require two main criteria:1) Household income should be at least 40x the monthly rent.2) Applicants must have a credit score of 680 or higher.It's also important to review credit reports for red flags like rental collections or high credit card balances.

I also like that these newer homes attract quality tenants, I may be lucky but haven't had any issues with any of my tenants in these types of homes (yet).How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

It's high risk potentially not so high reward situation.