I suspect, with no data to back it up, that most of the Guru Graduates who attend these seminars don't have great success afterwards.

I've grown accustom to the extra click every time I dial out.

when I built my duplex last Nov. 2013, I installed an extra water meter.

I was sitting here brainstorming ways to apply some of the outsourcing principles to my involvement as a new investor and thought I'd go public, since many minds are always better than one.So far I have a small list going, but would love to hear if you all have any other ways you have put either outsourcing, or any other 4HWW (muse creation, 80/20 rule, etc.) into your real estate businesses.Here's what I've come up with so far:Virtual Assistant (VA) tasks:screening MLS for potential dealsyellow letter campaignsGoogle Adwords tracking and implementationmanaging tenant screening process (background checks, tenant checks, etc.)tracking down absentee property ownersgenerating a list of every commercial building owner in your towncollection and aggregation of data in due diligence process for a commercial purchaseresearching cash buyers in targeted markets identifying common expense items in a new market (trash, electric, water, property tax rates, etc.)What else might make sense?

As for free websites, zillow and trulia can do a decent job of giving you active-listing data.

Talk to your mortgage broker though.Having an extra unit will definitely help with the mortgage, but like you said, you have to consider what's available in the area you really want to live.

@George Paiva I definitely do extra screening and checks on the tenants and try to keep the properties priced in the range that will attract the right tenants.

YouTube and Google are your best friends when you get stuck.Painting and clean up are the easiest, followed by drywall and tiling (drywall requires a lot of patience due to having to use multiple coats of mud), and then comes plumbing and electrical.Get the right tools for the job - a good cordless drill and saw, trowels, paint brushes, etc. the extra few dollars will save you a lot in trips to the store and lost time.

Sometimes they are there to help people.Secondly, the image data is from August 2011.

@Stan Butler , I would go with the 2nd option, having the rent be due on the 20th, but I would not charge them any extra for that (not a good strategy in sluggish economy).