You can also factor in a path to ownership.

A heat pump is much more efficient, even factoring in power generation and transmission losses.

I remember my mom telling me about a friend who was looking to sell her building and at first I thought the deal was to big for me; however, I looked at the location, ran the numbers, estimated repairs and the deal made sense if I factored in moderate rent increases.

Question of the day: What market(s) are you investing in, and what were your deciding factors on picking it(them)?

I am not a lender, but I believe the main limiting factor is how much of your entitlement you've used. 

If lenders do factor in take-home pay, would it be advised to scale back on contributions for a couple of months in order to get approved for a larger amount?

In my case I chose time to be the most flexible factor.

I realized I have never actually introduced myself.  My name is William and I spent 9 years in the military.  I was the kid making no money as an E-3 still reading about investing and people would just smirk and make ...

So, I will either have to rent long term forever or eventually refinance. 

4 - What would you estimate for average monthly power, gas, water, and trash (I know, this is going to be a wide range depending on # of occupants, climate sensitivity factors, etc)?