Ours have a mantle and we have hooks underneath for those who wish to hang Christmas stockings.Our tenants don't use the fireplace as a heat source, because all of the apartments have forced air natural gas heating.

This is just one of many strategies used depending on the nature of the deal.

I purchased a property and it had no natural gas as the water heaters were electrical and the furnace was oil.

I'm wondering, am I truly low balling these sellers or is it just the nature of the business?

Beautiful work by the way in your portfolio. 

What a beautiful country and a great way to build wealth.

@Jeff Trevarthen The beautiful thing about my current home is that I've spent 5 years setting it up for rental, purchased it with the intent to rent.

However the responses above naturally follow from the questions I reflected back in my other response.If you were to purchase this house for 87K, you could put a 10% downpayment (8700) with an insured mortgage.  

I have been a Realtor since 02 so it was natural for me to start buying long-term rentals, although I didn't start until Dec of 10'.

I love this REI game because of the networking opportunities, the ability to build a solid rapport with other investors, and just the beauty of helping each other reach our individual goals.