These items cause far more routine damage than tornadoes and insurance rarely covers the small, preventable issues as the cost is typically below your deductible.

Key: get the seller to agree in writing to subordinate, verify your lender’s lien priority, and build a draw schedule that covers carrying costs and contingency. for a novice first time builder while this is technically possible in reality it will never happen unless the seller has no clue and the lender is more clueless.. or if the lender is a relative. 

Petscreening just had a webinar covering this.

Quote from @Alex Lawson: About 20% of my tenants have their rent rent covered 100% by section 8.

So I will need at least 1 month-s rent to cover it.

Term is cheap, but its covering your younger years and provides protection against an early death.

Good news and bad newsGood news: your wife's REPS eligibility covers you, as well.Bad news: you need to meet the material participation test with respect to these two properties.

I’ve been looking to attend (and possibly speak at) more real estate and investor-focused conferences — especially those that cover midterm rentals, corporate housing, or property management trends.Networking and staying on top of industry shifts are a big part of how I grow and help others in this space, but I realized I might be missing out on some great upcoming events.So I figured I’d ask the community:- What real estate conferences, summits, or meetups are you planning to attend soon?

Building an investor list is all about consistent deal flow and clear criteria, so sharing the types of properties you’ll be sourcing and the areas you cover will help people plug in quickly.

I have a contractor who gave me two options:1) Do the things listed above - which is under the budget I set for the reno as part of the due diligence process2) Do all the 'must-do' items, and also replace the roof (roof is 12-15 years old but passed inspection), vinyl siding, cover the existing hardwood flooring with LVP, and upgrade the kitchen - items that aren't absolutely necessary to do now, but would increase the appraisal and reduce maintenance costs in the future.