rents 800  Sec 8 pays 750.. but tenant wont pay the co pay.. what do you do .. you don't want a vacancy over 50 bucks.. that is penny wise and pound foolish..  

But i been researching the neighborhood and similar homes are going for well above $530K, even though my budget seems as if i wont be able to do much the house isnt in extreme bad shape.

I wont even participate for less than 50% of the deal, but I make my investors a big pile of money. 

Currently most of the windows in the house are ok but 2 windows are rotted and wont open.

Just says tenant is responsible for oil, but if its empty, I have to order some to protect my property from the pipes freezing if they wont. 

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/reo/4921835463.h...above link likely wont be up for much longer, but i see the housing sections on CL flooded with these types of ads these days.how do u spot a fake?

I'm jumping the gun a bit but are you worried you wont be able to find another house?

This is why the 50% rule is so deceiving. example, a single family house that rents for $500/month, 50% rule wont work, expenses will be way higher if you look at them as a percentage of rents. just something that in mind.

After starting this thread, reading everyones helpful advice, and suffering through a little more trial and error, I think I have finally solved (at least for now) the riddle of successful posting on Craigslist.Since tweaking my methods and figuring out what I was doing wrong, all of my marketing ads are posting and "sticking" with no problems.

., etc.In 2008 as you know the industry found itself up the creek without a paddle, and at the same time I started to suffer the effects of a chronic illness I didn't previously know I had.