They also get substantial discounts on materials and things like HVAC systems and roofs.

@Barry PekinWhat if have decided to put extremely expensive materials in the house?

Smoke free / Pet Free is a great advertising sign.Your "Pet Move in Fee" is a non refundable payment.

.#5 - Just because people advertise or present themselves or I misjudge them as experts on a certain topic, the reality is they might not be an expert at all, and taking their advice may have serious adverse consequences.

I recommend setting up keyword alerts for each area as they are discussed in the forums daily with advertisements posted in the BiggerPockets marketplace hourly.One thing to note when looking at the individual markets, you can make or lose money in any market.

So if you have all 17 rented out at $375 the 18th one that’s vacant you’d advertise as $397.22 ($397/398).

                                                                                   -4 to 10 layers of roof since the early 1900 (never replaced just covered up)                                                                                                  -No insulation between ceiling and baseboards, no insulation under roof material, some tar and some shingles                                                            -My current problem for the last several months is rain/water coming inside the unit.

One thing I am sure of: The cash cows that meet the 1% and 2% rule, don't turn out as well as advertised overall and in the long run.

Any advice is appreciated..I grew skeptical of Home Depot and Lowe's...I find they hardly ever have the best prices..most contractors go there because of convenience, but then again, most contractors pass the cost of the materials to their customers :)

So we're staring at several months that are normally when our busy season start ramping up... and we have no income at all, and some substantial overhead (mostly in terms of mortgage payments)While we have even discussed turning these properties into LTRs, I fear that in the current climate in NYC, this is not the time period to start a LTR contract.The only idea that I've come up with so far, is to list the properties at a substantial discount for week-to-month long chunks, and to advertise through alternate sources like Craiglist.