Instead of evicting them, i was thinking is there some way that I could rent it back to him for very cheap (mainly to cover just the taxes/ insurance) ie 2k a year rather than the going rate of 2k a month for similar properties.

and where you could start with a house hack... which is the best and most powerful way to get started.now, should you buy a random, 'cheap' (supposedly) property in some random market you may never live in or have any connection to, before you're settled, just to own an investment property? 

The entirety of these cities aren't just comprised of cheap run down properties. 

.: Quote from @JD Martin: The 1% "rule" is just about dead everywhere outside of the midwest and some places in the south that are still relatively cheap.

Grandpa and Grandma take five acres on the back forty and punch in a well and sewer (when it was cheap to do so), run some water and sewer lines with the old backhoe. 

Currently there is that extremely thin, hard, cheap landlord carpeting (and also an area with cheap thin stick on hard tile squares). 

I was told by a local experienced investor that insurance companies will always go cheap with paying out to contractors in the event a property needs to be rebuilt. 

It's cheap and easy.

Quote from @Michael Smythe: @Alba Cheung wow, you went the cheap route and hire cheap attorneys.Now that they are useless, you want to ask us for free advice?

Generic replacement parts that fit American Standard can be found anywhere.Don't buy the cheap $90 toilets.