I think it's $10 for visitors to get in, but they supply free soda and pizza, so if nothing else, you get some food out of the deal. lol

Besides flipping houses, I still do a handful of deals each year for other people, which helps out during slow times.Currently, supply here is very tight and prices have been going up.

I currently teach some college classes online, and own a small business selling jewelry making supplies on Etsy.

This was the criteria I used (it's heavily based on the Best Ever Syndication Apartment book written by Joe Fairless):Criteria UnemploymentGet this information from Census.gov under the “Selected Economic Characteristics” data tableCalculate the unemployment change over a five-year period using the unemployment percentage for the city for the last five yearsIdeally, you want one that is decreasingA low, stagnant rate is acceptableA high and/or low increasing rate is unfavorablePopulationBoth the city and MSA population data can be found on Census.gov The city data will be under the “Annual Population Estimates” data tableThe MSA data is located in the “Annual Estimate of the Resident Population” data tableCalculate the population change for both the target market city and the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) using the population data for the last five years for the marketAn increasing population is idealA stagnant or decreasing trend is unfavorable, Especially if apartment supply is on the rise Population AgeFind this data on the Census.gov website under the “Demographic Characteristics” table.

Don't be afraid to shop around on your variable rate loans..

Oakland is interesting, but given how variable it is, I think you need to be "all in" (live there, know your areas street by street) and not just casually dabble there.

Be careful with the companies that supply you leads and mentoring. 

You might check out office supplies stores for a pre-written lease and us that as a template.

Other benefits include low closing costs, however the first deal will take longer to close than normal as they get to know you.Hope this helps and alleviates your concerns about DP and variable rates and leads to your first apartment purchase!

But as others have stated the flooring, kitchen and bathroom are the biggest cost variables but the mostImportant when trying to make things look good while keeping cost down.