I went back to garage to turn on the water for the building ..Zach, I would suggest you look into putting shut-of valves in line with every fixture - preferably in a location that is nearby to the fixture, accessible when needed, yet out of the tenant's way.

I have 4+ years of firewood stockpiled.

Here's the deal:- She owns a small disaster recovery services business and has a newly awarded contract with FEMA- She pays herself a fairly low salary from the contract because it's all she needs, so from the bank's perspective she has low income- She has a huge cash savings stockpiled and which she is building (she just started this business) in order to make payroll in periods where FEMA contract disbursements are slow- She's preparing to place an offer on a multi-family she currently lives in and rents from; she could pay cash for the property from her small business savings but needs to save that cash for the above mentioned reason- She's called multiple banks but can't find one willing to lend due to her "low DTI ratio"I think she just hasn't found the right lender and is probably calling big box banks looking for conforming loan terms.  

If you can't be near by to check up on a regular basis, the property can get run down very quickly.  

And of course the same for nearby lenders (people with insufficient equity to 'qualify,' to remodel?)

AZ has much more outdoor activities nearby compare to Chicago and the weather is so much better. 2) The organization we are working with in Kenya is building a rehab center/US base in Phoenix AZ.

If I pick it up and take it to the bank I save $308.16 per year and I'll get paid back roughly $0.52 per mile at tax time to go to a nearby town I'd probably need to goto anyway for lunch or something.But at least it's quick and easy, right?

My husband and I are focusing in on nearby college neighborhoods.

Since you live in Alabama though, you probably have a lot of nearby options if you're looking to cash flow.

I suppose you would have to consider the availability of nearby laundromats...that apartment was 8 miles to the closest one.