@Megan Samar, You could take a distribution from your 401k but not advisable if it's going to cause taxes/penalties.

The Real Estate Crash of 2008-2010 caused real estate prices to crash across the country - but didn't affect rent amounts.

Others might suggest using hard money crooks which is great in thier market but not NYC cause one little error like neighbor calling 311, city stoping your work, sub contractors trying to steal from you or even your attorney being lazy to process your paperwork and etc cost time and money and NYC is not forgiving.That's why I push for NYC investors to look for Newark or other cheap markets because a mistake there would cost you money but in NYC it will cost you time.Time is more valuable than money.

Properties in rent controlled areas tend to have stronger appreciation due to the housing shortage caused by rent control 

There are no hidden costs that have caused me to seek a property manager.  

With regard to your financing question, I don't see any harm in reaching out to multiple lenders ahead of time.

You should only have to change when your current software has a flaw or lacking feature that is causing you to spend too much work on a work-around.

We completely replaced a soffit and fascia in order to address insufficient ventilation that caused mold in an attic.

cause you don't want just anyone out there, and those are the people that get it.  

Pets can sometimes cause odors and lead to higher maintenance costs in rental properties.