I was going to rent but when I saw how much rent was in the area (600-800 for a 1 bed apartment, 800-1000 for a 3/2 not-so-nice house) and how cheap houses were to purchase (30-70k for a not-so-nice to moderately nice 3/2 house) I decided to just buy.  

Beginning a renovation project on your home can be hard and confusing for people who are not a part of the construction industry; therefore, hiring a general contractor may not be the first priority.

I know investment property near college campuses always do well due to the high turnover but values near Austin's UT campus have me wishing I'd bought 3-4 condos back in 2009.

In what area do you want to buy the apartment?

The average price of apartments, based on a quick scan of zillow, in Albany, ranged between 150,000-200,000.

The bank fees for a purchase transaction are 1% of the loan amount (1.5% if it is a cash out that is owned greater than 6 months) plus $695 in processing/underwriting fees.The interest rates for a non-recourse loan are as follows:-4.875% for a 5/1 ARM amortized over 20-25 years-5.375% for a 10/1 ARM amortized over 20-25 years-5.0% for a 10 year fixed loan that is amortized over a 10 year period-5.375% for a 15 year fixed loan that is amortized over a 15 year period-5.75% for a 20 year fixed loan that is amortized over a 20 year period-Special quotes may be given for multi-family property 3+ units, rural property, and high rise condominium units

Whether or not you choose to buy an owner's title policy is up to you, but I would highly recommend getting one.  

Highly recommend.http://akonopitskaya.com/

So I'm looking at whether I want to buy this apartment building or not and so far most of the recently sold units were condos.

Occupancy has remained unchanged since May and is staying near historic highs.