Purchase price: $119,000 Cash invested: $24,000 Next door to my other duplex in Independence, MO.

That and my wife's much smaller income would provide cushion and runway for future entrepreneurial opportunities, taking lower-paying W2 options that have higher long-term potential or are just more fun...and worst case scenario this would be more money to save and snowball....What I have to work with is about $200K in mutual funds and 4 doors (two 2-bed SFR owned free and clear each renting in the 600's, and a duplex mortgaged conventionally) that are all nicely cash flowing and gained equity in my ownership. 

I built my first portfolio to 32 doors while in the military for 23 years.

How do underwriters calculate DTI when I have several leased rental properties?  This may seem like an obvious question, but my last experience is that there is more to it than [rent payments] - [PITI] - [1% repairs]I...

Tenants also use the McDonald's parking lot next door.

Downers Grove is great, and then Westmont is right next door. 

Like every linear foot (and inch) or baseboards, count the # of doors and doorknobs in the house, etc.And this is not even to mention the fact that if I hire a GC, a lot of what he will do is just sub out much of the work, in which case I'm basically paying him a "finders fee" for a sub that for all I know I could have found a better/cheaper one myself.How can I include in the contract that I want to be able to have control over what sub's are used?

@Jordan Doolittle if i started over i would buy 2-4 multi units and move every year. 10 years you would control between 20-40 doors.

If you were going to sell it, it might be more of a question but even then you do tend to get more for having 3 bedrooms.I would probably also say to put the money into the kitchen and bathroom.

In just under 8 weeks we completely renovated the entire property: roof, stucco, windows, doors, trim, flooring, granite, stainless steel, new bathroom vanities, tile tub surrounds, pool equiptment, furnace, water heater, and so much more!