Time has to be set aside for management as well, the more properties you have the more management time required, they don't operate on autopilot without help.

I was speaking from a macro view of a niche operation in the real estate industry, mostly residential investing or operations.

My goal: -- Get out of my current situation of owning and operating a small plumbing company.

Retail rate sheets by contrast have operating expenses built into them and do not need to be marked up. 

Property Purchase Purchase Price $ 215,000.00 $ 215,000.00 Down Payment % 30.00% 30.00% Down Payment $ 64,500.00 $ 64,500.00 Mortgage Amount $ 150,500.00 $ 150,500.00 Mortgage Interest Rate (annual) 3.500% 4.375% Mortgage Amortization Term (years) 15 30 Mortgage Monthly Payment $1,075.90 $751.42     Property Rental Income Annual Vacancy Rate 0.00% 0.00% Monthly Rent - Unit 1 $ 1,700.00 $ 1,700.00 Monthly Rent - Unit 2 $ - $ - Monthly Rent - Unit 3 $ - $ - Gross Monthly Income $ 1,700.00 $ 1,700.00 Potential Annual Income $ 20,400.00 $ 20,400.00 Less: Vacancy $ - $ - Annual Rental Income $ 20,400.00 $ 20,400.00     Annual Operating Expenses Property Taxes $ 1,662.00 $ 1,662.00 HOA Fees $ 2,496.00 $ 2,496.00 Insurance $ 201.00 $ 201.00 Utilities $ - $ - Leasing & Advertising $ - $ - Property Management $ - $ - Repairs $ - $ - Maintenance $ - $ - Accounting & Legal $ - $ - Total Expenses $ 4,359.00 $ 4,359.00 Monthly Mortgage & Expenses $ 1,439.15 $ 1,114.67     Net Operating Income & Cash Flow Summary Annual Rental Income $ 20,400.00 $ 20,400.00 Less: Annual Operating Expenses $ 4,359.00 $ 4,359.00 Net Operating Income $ 16,041.00 $ 16,041.00 Less: Annual Mortgage Payment $ 12,910.78 $ 9,017.09 Net Income / Cash Flow $ 3,130.22 $ 7,023.91 Net Income / Cash Flow (Monthly) $ 260.85 $ 585.33     Less: Depreciation Expense (1/27.5 of cost) $ (7,818.18) $ (7,818.18) Taxable Net Income (Loss) $ (4,687.96) $ (794.27)     Property Metrics & Analysis CAP Rate 7.46% 7.46% Gross Rent Multiplier lower is better 10.54 10.54 Cash on Cash Return (CoC ROI) 4.85% 10.89% Cash Flow Profit Margin 15.34% 34.43% Cashflow / Assets 1.46% 3.27%

Do people identify partners, set up an LLC (which could take weeks), find a property and then create the operating agreement to determine ownership?

I recently started a self directed ira and i need to find an operating agreement to use as a templet

Not sure if they operate in Pittsburgh, but we use Guardian water and sewer.

Small operation but will work hard for you.

They're big churn & burn operations.