You're asking all the right questions — Indy is a solid market for OOS investors.Taxes:Federal: Rental income is taxable, but you can deduct expenses like management, repairs, and depreciation.Indiana: Flat 3.15% income tax + low property taxes (~1–1.5%).Best Areas Under $200K:Irvington, Garfield Park, Warren Township.Avoid or vet carefully: Haughville, parts of Martindale-Brightwood, Far East Side.Property Management:Check out Polaris, Wilmoth Group, or Barron.Insurance:Look into WalkerHughes or HBG Insurance (independent brokers are best).Multi-Family Pros & Cons:Pros: More income, spreads vacancy risk.Cons: More tenant turnover, shared utilities, higher upfront costs.Don’t Forget:Budget for sewer line issues (common in older homes).Understand local eviction laws.Ask if tenants or you handle lawn/pest care.

Every little bit helps since we’re all swimming in the same shark infested waters.

“He outbid me,” said Slaughter, whose rent has risen from $700 to $900 since Mendenhall’s RAD Diversified REIT became her new landlord in late 2019, even as she says her complaints to RAD’s property managers about pests and leaky pipes have gone unanswered.ADVERTISEMENTSlaughter’s home is part of a five-state empire of real estate bought through sheriff’s sales and “We Buy Houses” signs that Mendenhall, RAD’s chief executive, has been selling to investors on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media, touting what he portrays as the venture’s market-beating performance.Mendenhall, who is based in Southern California, has described Philadelphia as the biggest market for RAD, a firm founded in Florida that specializes in buying distressed real estate then renting it out.

My first one had holes in the floors and ceilings, + was rat and roach infested..we cleaned it up, put $50k in rehabs into it and it went 3x on appraisal.

Plan on changing out HVAC filters yourself and doing pest control yourself. 

the mobile detail company we purchased for $10,000 after getting home from a summer of selling pest control door to door in New York!

we just get pest control folks coming door to door. they know when its Ant season:)

Pest inspections and, in some cases, an environmental assessment (like a Phase I ESA) are also essential, particularly if financing is involved or the property has commercial zoning or past industrial use.

Had a pest inspection done but when we looked over the clean bill of health, there was a small note that said the inspector did not go under the house because it was muddy . . . ok, that was money thrown out the window but calling him back, he agreed to go under when the rain stopped and inspect the crawlspace. 

For multiyear leases we include graduated rent, so it won't necessarily come into play at all, but it's an incentive to negotiate with tenants who decide later to renew.The things our clients DON'T pay for...smoke detector certification, coordinating home warranty or other contracted vendor services like pool, lawn, pest, sprinklers, etc, gutter cleaning, chimney sweep, more than one annual inspection, and the list goes on.