not sure if your staying in WA with no state income tax.. but a lot of the folks i know that are high net worth invest in tax free muni bonds  AAA rated.. rates have been low but they are rising.. might be worth talking to your broker about.I would diversify.. and NOTES  would be a nice way to go for cash flow as well just get with a great HML there in seattle and let them place your loans for you.. lower your rate so you can cream the borrowers... if the local HML are at say 2 and 12 put your money our for 9 but be ultra picky.. risk of loss remote.. hassle factor none .. fun in looking at potential loans off the charts.. and return great.. the thing about pooled investments is just that your one of many if they go TU you stand a very good chance of principal loss... so if U went that route sponsor is CRITICAL and I would limit your investment with them to no more than 10% of your portfolio.. at that point principal protection is utmost not necessarily return...  

I've seen some do an acid wash and not try to cover up the existing but just clean it up.In the photo, the real wall paint color is by Sherwin Williams Interactive Cream.

Cream rises to the top!

My main goal right now is to learn the ins and outs of the industry, and purchase my first property before the start of 2018.On the reading list right now is:The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Real Estate Investing (Brandon Turner)The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)The Book on Rental Property Investing (Brandon Turner)Since these first posts are more meant as an Ice breaker, I'll throw out that my favourite kind of ice cream is vanilla, because it pairs with toppings so well, and tastes good by itself.

People want to be able to walk to the ice cream shop , the corner pizza shop and post office .

@Steve Vaughan  also very much depends on where in the US it is.. and what your tenant base is..some tenant bases around the country are peach's and cream and not tough on property and pay on time.and rarely does  a unit go vacant one moves out 3 to 5 days to clean and turn it another moves in.in other parts of the country tenants move a ton.. are tougher on the homes.. bigger credit risks IE don't pay and it can take more money to turn them over  and longer time finding new tenant.. so it depends.. but 50% is a good rule of thumb if your having to hire it all out that's for sure. 

My thought was to have one splash of color in the kitchen (the counters), and do neutral colors (white, gray, ivory, cream) in the rest of the kitchen.

I will use existing rental income and income from my other business (ice cream shops) to fund the repairs needed.

When looking for someone to rent a room you won't get the cream of the crop in most cases.

I have sceen and known about people who can cross the busiest high speed highways without getting creamed by a fast moving vehicle but just because there are others that do it does not mean I am going to try it.