During the middle of the sale one of the pipes burst in the condo and neither the bank nor the seller wanted to pay for the repairs, so I paid about $800 to have the pipes repaired and clean up the water damage.

Found this one on Zillow, did a drive by and the agent happened to be there cleaning the place up with a couple other gruff looking guys.

Fortunately, selecting a "good" location is relatively easy if you use the right metrics.Rent and Price Growth Rate - Inflation is constantly eroding buying power; each year, it costs more to buy the same set of goods and services.

Last week another storm comes along and knocks out power for 2.5 days and no generator.  

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)?

That means you are paying back money that has less buying power than the money you borrowed. 

Then the delivery guy couldn’t restart the furnace and told him there was no power to it but it wasn’t the breaker.

If the judge determines you're a terrible landlord and have done wrong, trust me, you WILL be put out of business in a hurry, AND IT WILL HURT.Stop thinking you're a big baddie with all the power in the world because you're a landlord.

The town also had few rentals available, and all the neighbors are homeowners utilizing landscapers to care for the lawns, all neatly mowed, edged, besides having spring cleaning, mulched, etc.

My main concern is that I would have to find local housekeeping and maintenance folks and coordinate cleanings/fixes between checkouts or if the guests have any concerns while they are there.