It's only 4 months old, but I am finding that it has to be regularly drained and refilled due to how the guest use it or abuse it.

The real estate appreciation, you can reduce your taxable income, and the interest on your mortgage is usually deductible, which is a nice bonus.

However, if you don't mind taking on that risk, you can also run numbers for condo units so that they still work as regular rentals.

Quote from @Sarah Kensinger: Quote from @JD Martin: I keep in reasonable regular contact with guests before their stay but I will not provide access or location information earlier than an hour or two before their stay, as I have had people show up before guests have left and before cleaners have finished.

I would call them first, let them know you are sending it and then send it via email and regular mail. 

These are heavy-hitter, regular buyers.

Great tools that get updated regularly. 

Hey @Austin Wolff - You bring up some good points about knowing the house better than anyone when you build new if you are actively involved and onsite regularly, but I'd get behind @Jay Hinrichs, in the sense that the numbers don't always allow you to build new.Here in Chicago, new developments are super pricey, and even the BEST DEVELOPERS HAVE SLIM MARGINS. 

It's also always great to catch up with BP regulars I usually only get to see once a year at this conference.As for connections, we're trying to start a construction company and offer services to local managers to do preventative maintenance inspections in order to take advantage of our infrastructure and increase revenue while we aren't buying much. 

If you dig in on the south or west side, you should be getting deals that are distressed enough to just use regular hard/bridge/private money that is expensive.