Lastly, adding a profile pic will make a big difference in adding credibility.   

Made my first offer on a place last week.

@Paul thanks,trying to keep hard money as last option

First of all,  Security deposits  as rent should ONLY occur on the last month, and never before then - - otherwise you have nothing to hold over for damages on move out.QB is poor when managing security deposits, and when I asked this on a QB forum, you should have seen the procedural mess that was suggested to make it all work. 

I ultimately want to buy something and live in it, and I want to stay in LA, so while being a good investment on its own merits is important, what seems to matter most is that it be better than renting.I'm sure that this has been asked/answered elsewhere on the site so I'll be digging in to see what I can find, but it's the most burning question on my mind the last few days, so I figured I'd package it in with my introduction as well.Cheers, and looking forward to getting to know many of you over the coming weeks/months!

Hi Daniel, I would ask if they have completed a reserve study, when the last time was that they passed a special assessment and what it was for, if they have any upcoming capital improvement projects coming up, when the roofs were replaced, when the last time they painted (because if not in the past 8-10 years you may have a lot of leaks).  

Have them pull a list of all the cash buyers for the last 3 years and more than likely they are investors. 

My  broker ran the comps last night and came up with a range between 360-410k with a recommended list price of 400k.

For the last couple of years, I have been doing so much research (never enough especially for beginners) and have a mind set for buying and holding.

But honestly  - and No disrespect intended here, Wholesaling is the last thing you want to be doing right now ....