The margins for error seem slim on that, and you are essentially buying it for more than that.If opportunity is going to come to you at an inconvenient time for you, then it better be worth it. 

So a few questions - should I hold out until that "perfect" opportunity presents itself, or do I just live with the fact that it is few and far between in this hot market.  

@Joseph M.You would have to be paid a wage, which is an awesome opportunity to someone who is not licensed who is interested in becoming licensed.  

If not, there is opportunity for improvement there.Cash is ALWAYS king. 

I think I have a great opportunity, but I was hoping to hear some of your own experiences! 

Valued around $270,000 We'll call this one Yellow.I have the opportunity to purchase the duplex next door to the one I am occupying.

Well because I could not commit to acquiring my first property with the remaining time in the year, I’ve committed to analyzing 2 deals a day to post on the forums here.It will allow me to gain knowledge and advice from experienced investors and also give other investors like myself (or soon to be investors I guess) an opportunity to contribute as well.Even if they haven’t done any deals, they may know how to avoid common mistakes while analyzing that they’ve learned since they’ve started on their path to REI.I know it may not be much, but I’m really hoping that others in my position feel inspired to contribute more than the normal “Hi I’m a new investor looking to learn from everyone here on the site” and those more experienced are still willing to share their experiences.Thanks everyone.With that being said:Property #12-unit Property in Queens, NYEach unit is a 2br/1baAnticipated gross rents: $3.8k/moOperating expenses (per month):- Vacancy: $190- Repairs/Maintenance: $35- Taxes: $300- Insurance: $133.33- Property Management: $190 (did this at 5% of gross rents because I can manage the property myself but I’d like to set aside a portion in case it makes sense to transition to management).

I scour for MLS listings each day to see if any good opportunities pop up and I'm also slowly training my mother and sister to drive for dollars.

You will have negative cash flow on that property especially considering the opportunity value of your equity.

As I am doing my research in the Oakland market, a lot of the math is starting to look slim in terms of cash flow so I started to study properties that could possibly be renovated with condo conversion potentials as a value add opportunity.