I modeled mine off of other sites owned by people that I know to be successful.  

I am a recent President of Northwest REIA but have changed my model to investing in promissory notes.

I love that Nomad investing model!

I have actually modeled *part* of this.

Carrington’s model called for mid-single digit net returns on annual rents on an unlevered basis, according to Rose.

They are more of a high yield opportunistic fund vs Blackstone which entered the space later once the earlier players proved the model would work.

Along with that you could self insure by saving a portion of your rent per month so you can adequately cover major expenses, but I would suggest you consider more important major expenses than carpet and walls, those are minor compared to HVAC and roofs, and while 2007 is relatively new, a water heater's typical warranty lasts 3-6 years for builders models and if that goes out you could end up flooding something badly.

I would suggest finding a broker that understands and supports my business model.

If I'm being completely honest here, our direct customers/clients would be "brokers & loan officers" since our business model is B2B. 

Define your model, example SFR 3bd,1 bath, brick,etc.