On the flip side I don’t want to pay a bunch of money for inspections and end up losing the deal because the seller won’t budge when faced with the reality of large repairs needed, so I definitely understand that point and my no inspection contingency offer would account for those gotchas. 

No matter what I feel like I’m losing money, but the market is cold and I doubt I’d have anybody else for February anyway, plus with a nice family is like to have them as tenants.

But any way you slice it, you’re going to lose rent AND pay out cash?

And depending on your federal and state rates, you could actually end up losing money in the end due to taxes in an example like this, correct? 

Be advised that prices have risen rapidly over the last few years and competition is fierce, so don't get discouraged when you lose your first few bids at or above ask price.

@John Neff “Losing my Virginity” by Richard Branson.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news...Colorado is the latest state overrun by socialists. This is dangerous. People need to stand up to these "activist" politicians!

And speaking of partners, doing business with friends is a sure way to lose them, so think hard before proceeding further.

for your first foray into real estate, you are looking to do a gut rehab on a 3,700 square foot home with limited financial resources ... this will be a disaster, you will lose the home, and you'll never go back to real estate.

I can also see the argument that they have more to lose, but it seems like long-lived institutions like banks could afford to take high risk investments as long as they were profitable in the long run.