You hit the nail on the head: not all lenders are created equal, and those initial offers that sound too good to be true usually come with hidden fees or rigid terms that can cost you down the road.I always tell newer investors to shop lenders like you’d shop contractors — ask questions, compare line-by-line, and don’t be afraid to walk away if it doesn’t feel right.

Similar to what has been listed, here are the top three pain points I hear when an owner is switching property management companies: 1- Lack of Communication - owner and tenants wait days or weeks to hear back from their PM 2- Maintenance - PM completes repairs without approval and has crazy markups 3- Hidden fees- certain fees are not disclosed up front such as renewal, move outs, etc. 

You’re definitely on the right track with your analysis and way of thinking—looking at markets that land in the top right of your chart makes sense because you’re aiming for both rent and price growth, but sometimes those “hidden gem” cities don’t have the infrastructure of agents, lenders, or property managers that make it easy to invest in from out of state.

Took me about 9 months start to finish and cost around $25k.The biggest pain points were city delays and finding hidden issues once walls came open.

Failing to conduct thorough due diligence could saddle you with the seller's hidden debts

For example, I once re-roofed a house where hidden layers of shingles and extra decking added unexpected costs.

Any advice on how to instruct tenants to deal with a nuisance alarm in the middle of the night?

Decide your property class & tenant profile first, then shop deals that fit it (A/B/C isn’t just a vibe—it drives rent stability, turnover, and maintenance).Old houses, hidden CapEx.

I'll add that you'll need to search more for hidden opportunities below the surface of markets you're looking in.

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