How did you folks learned to strike the right balance? 

@Dan Mackin sounds like its all about finding a balance between too much information and not enough.  

I also have a brick front , and it sucks up the heat  ( great in winter)  My front door in the late afternoon , if you touch it you will burn your hand .It was worse until I added a vent fan in the attic and I tinted the front windows , I also have a window unit in 1 bedroom so I could balance the ductwork to send more to the living areas. 

@Christopher Zaone option would be to bring on a money partner with a strong balance sheet to partner with you on the deal. 

The initial sales agreement is a legally binding document that commits the buyer to complete the purchase and to pay the balance of the agreed price on a specified future date.The real estate purchase process is overseen by a notary (notario) who in Italy typically has more responsibilities in the process than in many other countries of the world (e.g. title search,).

Quick backstory, I initially planned to invest in my first rental property back in March, I had worked diligently to clean up my credit, paying off and having collections removed, bringing my student loans current, and paying off my credit card to a 0 balance throughout 2014.

Not sure if I understood this part correctly (and not having dealt much with US Financial Institutions on mortgages I may be in the dark on this) - are you stating that:(all numbers for sake of illustration):- 2010 I take out a 15 or 30 year fixed mortgage on a property for 100K; 20K down, 80K mortgage (20%)- 2015 property is now worth 200K; principal paydown was 10K on original mortgage - i.e remaining mortgage balance is 70K.

Landlording isn't  always fun by any stretch, but asking about millionaires, I can attest a portfolio of rentals does wonders for your balance sheet @Mason Anderson! 

There are less checks and balances with a single person company.  

I won't go into the values a lender must carry the asset at, that changes in time, but while it is an asset, balancing the cancellation of debt, it is in limbo of sorts, in trust of sorts to be disposed of, why they call it "other real estate" or "real estate owned" which is different than real estate held for business purposes.