I was not smart enough to put the dates together and notice that the place was not Winterized through that first Winter. 

There are motivated sellers out there who have no choice but to sell, they need us.

My capital is limit FYI so that’s one reason why the 3.5% is looking like a solid choice for me (now).

Because of small life choices like that and learning those things early on, it's allowed me to see that I'd rather put the money I would have spent toward a car back into investments so I could buy 10 4Runners if I wanted to (which I won't lol).

Ive found its kind of counterproductive to try and get water sub-metered and very costly but i did find depending on where your at like Cleveland for instance there is a program where you can get a sort of smart reader attached to your existing meter that will give far more accurate readings than what the meter currently measures. im not really looking to modify much just make sure everything is as accurate and fair as possible.

You choose one OR the other, not both, and the choice is something that needs professional help from real estate tax experts.

Cash-out Refi with your lender of choice.

If hands on is your method of choice, I personally would be looking into properties with abilities to add ADU units and rent them out on your own or with an agent.

However, if your why is actually that you want to build long-term wealth and passive income, you may want to rethink your strategy of choice.

Formica For a rental it's the better choice.