Mapping out what it takes to meet the goals you set for yourself is all about reverse engineering your RE career to fulling understand how many interactions per day get you to where you want to go. 

Links to the BP articles are also avaialble on our website (BP seach engine doesn't work well).You should also hit up @Joe Hammel a local agent specializing in rentals.

Almost nobody knows the comps for their cell service, their car insurance, or their health care insurance.2) make sure they are on MTM or when their lease expires, until there’s nothing you can do. 3) find out the local/state requirement for notice to increase rent, maybe go even farther out to avoid a winter vacancy  4) be financially prepared for the tenant to move out and spending thousands to make it ready for the next tenant while it’s vacant for a month or two (especially in the middle of the winter.)5) be absolutely confident that you’re right about market ent so you don’t spend thousands lose rent to vacancy and possibly get a lower quality tenant to make an extra couple hundred per month.

As a scientist and engineer we do not just "take" a theroy and blindly apply.

If you're a single mom with student loans, a car payment, and living paycheck-to-paycheck, then $20,000 would be devastating and a reserve is critical.

A couple of additional concerns are; -downward slope towards the house ( may be worth getting a structural engineer incase?

For example, "My car broke and I had to get it fixed so I could get to work.

While frustrating for the typical investor, the Blackstone's of the world still have to provide an alpha (outperform the market or other available investment vehicles) to their investors or they will park their capital in another sector or asset.Removing capital from a business is almost the equivalent of removing gasoline from a car, without gas the business can't run.

Typical uses are to pay off credit cards or car loans, and many investors use these to purchase more real estate! 

Do all the houses on the block have a garage to park a car or all have bootleg units?