You will also have a lot more luck finding a mentor if you come across as someone who has done thinking on his own.Other ideas: Get the books from Kaplan to pass the real estate agent test in your state.

With the numbers you provided, a quick test with the 2% and 50% rule show that it will not cash flow.

They'll assign you an escrow officer, and likely set you up with an online data account.

I have been testing out different marketing strategies and if I get results from bandit signs I will continue to use them where it is legal.

If you decide replace them notify the landlord to give the owner an option to remove the broken items.When I purchase a property that has a washer and dryer or have a tenant that moves out and leaves a washer and dryer I'll test them and if they appear to be working I'll include them with similar language and make it very clear that they're a bonus and I will not repair them for the tenant.

I never get why this method is so low on the priority list.They provide actual data of REAL owners who OWN rentals in the target market.

@James Peoples First off, congrats on passing the test and getting your license.

List services, and property data providers, calculate (estimate) equity using two computer models - value and debt.First you need an estimate of the property value, commonly known as an automated valuation model, or AVM.

The rain in Spain falls mainly on... me. 

My perspective on leverage, since I am in the business of leverage (broker/mortgage originator) is if I can reasonably control the down side and maximize the upside with the terms/rate/cost at which I am borrowing at, such as using a fixed 30 year, limited or no prepays, lower margins, non recourse, caps on adjustment periods, risk/equity share, etc I am okay with leveraging near maximum.For me it comes down to terms and cash flow as long as the risks can be minimized and the cash flow profit spread is high enough and stable enough even with stress tests (market drops rents go down XX%, business income goes down XX% or my personal income goes down XX% can I still debt service?)