We are the largest bank holding company in Indiana.

I'm a commercial mortgage banker (this means I direct lend and i broker) at one of largest shops in the country and we just don't do deals that size. 

I have several partners that I work with, and one of their main functions is providing a strong balance sheet so we can get large commercial loans. 

if you dont have at LEAST 6-months of reserves (or sufficient non-RE related income source) to cover surprises (which will happen on every property) dont buy anything yetuse the SEARCH function on biggerpockets BEFORE you post your question--your question has probably been asked before and seasoned investors might not answer your post because they have answered it before.if you dont have a business plan, dont buy anything yet--you have homework to do.  

Actually my largest expenses are property taxes, by far (don't get me started).

This is the Allegany County area between Hagerstown and Cumberland, and features a large state public university.

Cash flow is what I need to justify building houses, additions, and making places look/function better.  

I found one property on the MLS that was not a great deal but a functional one, after a few auction properties, two of which were good deals, one was a bust, but it ain't easy, that's for sure.

Lease up when a unit turns is generally considered a separate function for another fee. 

I also plan to attend an upcoming CTREIA function to start networking.This newfound interest came about through serendipity.