When picking a market, look for places with good rent-to-price ratios and stable job growth.

A lot of our older structures here are grandfathered into modern building codes and, in the event of a significant loss, you'd likely benefit from the extra bucket of coverage meant for bring structures in accordance with modern codes. 

I have self managed a single family and a triplex and recently bought a duplex that was being managed by the only property management company in my area. My end goal was to have property management so we thought we wo...

I'd personally pay the money for an asset of that size.Youll want to make sure that you're able to use the additional depreciation that will generate losses.

I wish I had done a better job of protecting myself.

From a tax side, that $1,000 loss isn’t really a loss once you factor in depreciation, that non-cash expense often turns negative cash flow into a paper loss, which can help offset other income depending on your situation.You’ll also build equity through principal paydown and appreciation, and those property taxes are fully deductible.

STRs are exempt from the passive activity loss limitations if certain material participation tests are met, even without REPS status.Now, for some very rough numbers (this is not tax advice — definitely speak to a CPA for your specific situation):Let’s say you buy the property for $315,000 and you do around $100,000 in renovations.

Some investors love heavy rehabs for higher margins, others prefer quicker, lighter flips.
What’s been your strategy lately — and how do you decide which projects to take on?

I’ve been in contact with the Better Business Bureau about them  cut your losses and go the other way. 

I believe that they'll have to provide evidence of the defect, the seller's knowledge of it, and prove that the buyer had financial losses because of it.