So these need to be factored into your costs as you work your numbers.Find a good quality property manager and ask them for advice.Don't go for the super cheap property. 

Which leads them to acquiring cheap houses for little or no money down.

I would not get licence immediately, it is not that cheap to have it.

I also snoop around their Warehouse Deals site, I've gotten some great stuff for cheap there - I don't care if the box is torn.

couple things and again not to throw cold water on your idea.you are going to find it quite difficult in the north bay to find homes as cheap as your talking about.but that said.. get PROPERTY RADAR and use that app.. its critical.when vetting a buyer ask them for the last 3 properties they bought.. ask for address check public records and see if they actually bought them.. you are going to run into a whole host of flakes on craigslist that you had no idea existed.. daisy chains of guys like you with little to no money trying to do this..

Your cheapest, though still not cheap relative to the product, solution is to have a carpenter create a custom transition. 

I found comps but they are all on cleared, level land (which is what I based our financial assumptions on.)Lot was cheap and big, part of a small isolated "subdivision" closer to a larger city in the area, and due to topology and wooded area, the lot "feels" more secluded.

Filing fee's in AK were very cheap, I am not sure what they are here in MT. 

We recently bought 6 cheap properties up there and have 4 rented so far.

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