From a purely buying & living perspective, would love to hear your thoughts on what areas in West side are best value...

Also, when it comes to students, the contracts have to be written in such a constraining manner (purely to protect your investment), that it can become a little unattractive to the decent tenant. 

Most the numbers you see on paper are pure speculation.

Alan,you're not going to keep them,pure and simple.You're going to raise their rents significantly and deny them their desire to smoke in their homes so,they're going to leave.Tell them now exactly what they are facing in October and expect them to squawk like chickens.Then offer them an early out of there lease in 60 days or more and hope they take it without further griping so you can get some full paying tenants in those units.Clean them up nice,do your upgrades and repairs,and get ready for the search for new tenants.If your units are truly worth 750 a month,go get it boy!!!!

There are extra battery backup packs and use motion sensors so they don't run 24/7, the power will last for more than a year.

A couple of ways to to help stem sound you have high ceilings you can drop the ceiling and insulate and install new drywall,also pure gypcrete on second floor it used for sound proofing in new apartment complexes you can install a glue down wood floor system it will cost alittle but will make a good difference

Now, he had the best possible outcome, his ins co happened to have a $50k mold claim coverage included and they covered ALL legal fees and case was dismissed with prejudice, since it was so obviously BS.Yet, I had to watch my brother go through about a year of often pure hell, since as this unfolded, he had no clue if he'd lose and who knows, when you're talking about things like a baby born with a deformed you know what (later conclusively proven to be a totally unrelated birth defect!)

We had our house burn  down   a total loss  due to a remote control  traxxas  battery charger within 30 minutes whole  house suffered  smoke and water damage happened  about  a year and a half  ago thank God no one was home and it happened in the day time.  

What do you think about pure land lots?

This third cottage unit would be pure bonus.