After *all* expenses, ROI on rent is 3.5% - this excludes any appreciation.A week later, I saw the SAME unit as mine, in the same complex - it was advertised for $50 more monthly rent than mine, so I feel secure in my rental rate being at market. 

Before that we owned 29 doors; 5 single family homes, a fourplex and a 20-unit apartment complex in Oregon. 

The reason I'm thinking the latter is because I can get better financing terms (85% LTV) and deal w/ less complexity/forms to file.

The alternative are the heavy fee HOA townhomes for the rich kids, but you still end up doing all the landscaping like an apartment complex. 

In order to accomplish that, we have a blended portfolio of an Oakland duplex that appreciates but doesn't cashflow, a SFH that appreciates (and wouldn't cashflow if we moved), and a low-income apartment complex in South Chicago that cashflows (15-25% cash on cash return if you do or don't factor in the debt service being paid down) that is unlikely to appreciate more than 1% YOY.

GOAL: I am looking to purchase a 10-20 unit apartment complex and trying to establish market value using multiple methods.

I think as a little girl, construction work seemed like it was only for men because it was hard and complex.  

Even just gopher/task rabbit type services might help them....putting out signs, putting on lockboxes, changing out locks.I think every apartment complex today is looking for maintenance people. 

I have a ton of pre-foreclosures in my area, but upon screening the court files, it appears the debt outstanding is right around the ARV or market value of some of these properties.

Windows--repair, replacement, etc--are on me. lol.I'm going to nag about replacing those dead trees in fall and I'm also going to see when we have it in the budget to refurbish the basketball court a little bit, and talk to the investors and see if they want to light it since right now, tenants have commandeered a light meant for illuminating the entry sign to shine onto the basketball court, and it's well located such that people playing after dark won't disturb people in the units.....