A newer house might or might not need less routine maintenance.

My crews and subs take care of things on the houses for me and they bill me at regular rates.

If buy and hold was my strategy I'm sure I'd be a regular and he also covers broader economic info.

Erik Reichertz, I could be wrong, but I believe anything 5 units or higher requires a commercial loan, which is a different animal than regular residential loans for 4 units and under.

I'm always willing to pay less than it may be worth, and sell for more than it's worth.Assessed Value: (the following is an educated guess) someone's, in government, best guess at value at some point in time, sometimes arms length, sometimes according to a formula, sometimes actually close to the real value, which is usually multiplied by a tax ratio that will allow the municipality to pay their expenses, pensions and equipment.....please note that both assessed value and tax rate can be changed regularly to effect the desired monies to pay for such expenses.

I know that for fact (I'm a broker in the state and it's been covered routinely in various classes, etc.).I'll check into local codes to see what they call for.

For regular counter tops, at least here in Dallas TX, .75 cents per sq ft of the house will generally give you a conservative estimate.

Keep in mind that property insurance for vacation rentals is generally much more costly than regular hazard insurance and that additional cost must be factored in to your plan.

I am looking at buy and hold or flipping partnerships in Pittsburgh since that is an area I regularly visit and am familiar with.

That's different, that's the difference between a regular return and a "real" return which is net of inflation (as I know you full well know).That's why I predicated my answer on that you have to be a borrower to make inflation really work for you.