# Passive Income Ideas For Rural Preppers



## Jayhawker

I have recently became a land owner and I'm interested in ideas for passive income. I am a farmer by trade but I'm not confident in farming being a great way to reliably pay the bills, especially if you don't have a lot of land for row crops and don't want to have a confined feeding operation for livestock. 

Technically passive income is defined as earnings derived from a rental property, limited partnership, or other enterprise in which a person is not actively involved. The way I'm using the term however isn't exactly the technical definition. I am interested in ways to make money from my land that involve very limited action on my part, but not necessarily entirely passive if that makes sense. I've been told by many that passive income is the key to building wealth in the long term. I don't trust the stock market, and I also don't trust the value of precious metals in a long term SHTF or TEOTWAKI, because you can't eat gold. 

So that leaves me with a few options I've been considering. One is to raise quail alongside my chickens that I'll have anyway to be released onto my land for customers to use it as a hunting preserve. I would rent out use of my back twenty to people interested in doing some hunting. 

Another option is to build a shop, garage, or similar structure near my front gate and to try to have part of my land re-zoned for commercial activities. I could rent out the commercial space to a business interested in using it. 

Another option I'm excited about potentially pursuing is to set up a small storage unit complex with some units and a yard, which would also involve rezoning. This may be a great idea especially for preppers because storage unit complexes often have security features like cameras, tall fencing, etc. In SHTF holing up inside a storage unit complex could make for a very secure location. Storage units are cheaper to build and maintain than other structures, with many rural complexes lacking water or electrical hookups. Having lots of storage space is also a great thing for a prepper to have. If you stockpiled a bunch of woodstoves in a pinch a storage unit complex could be quickly converted into an emergency shelter for a sizable group of friends or family members. 

Prepping is important in case of SHTF, but so is long term financial security in general, and passive income could provide someone with the time and resources to afford some excellent preps. What do you think of these ideas? Would it be worth it or could it potentially introduce extra problems in SHTF and make you a big target? What are some of your ideas for passive income for a rural person with some land?


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## Denton

JH, I would suggest further breaking up those large paragraphs. Internet commo is not the same as books.


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## Slippy

JH'er

I tried to empathize with you to come up with some good ideas but being a small land owner myself and someone who strives to be prepared, I cannot in good faith suggest you move forward with any of your ideas of passive income from your land that involves other people using your land.

Farming, raising livestock both seem to be good ideas. But leasing the land to hunters, no way in hell! Same with rezoning as a commercial property, nothing good will come from that. Only regulations and higher taxes, higher insurance and idiots.



Jayhawker said:


> I have recently became a land owner and I'm interested in ideas for passive income. I am a farmer by trade but I'm not confident in farming being a great way to reliably pay the bills, especially if you don't have a lot of land for row crops and don't want to have a confined feeding operation for livestock. Technically passive income is defined as earnings derived from a rental property, limited partnership, or other enterprise in which a person is not actively involved. The way I'm using the term however isn't exactly the technical definition. I am interested in ways to make money from my land that involve very limited action on my part, but not necessarily entirely passive if that makes sense. I've been told by many that passive income is the key to building wealth in the long term. I don't trust the stock market, and I also don't trust the value of precious metals in a long term SHTF or TEOTWAKI, because you can't eat gold.
> 
> So that leaves me with a few options I've been considering. One is to raise quail alongside my chickens that I'll have anyway to be released onto my land for customers to use it as a hunting preserve. I would rent out use of my back twenty to people interested in doing some hunting. Another option is to build a shop, garage, or similar structure near my front gate and to try to have part of my land re-zoned for commercial activities. I could rent out the commercial space to a business interested in using it. Another option I'm excited about potentially pursuing is to set up a small storage unit complex with some units and a yard, which would also involve rezoning. This may be a great idea especially for preppers because storage unit complexes often have security features like cameras, tall fencing, etc. In SHTF holing up inside a storage unit complex could make for a very secure location. Storage units are cheaper to build and maintain than other structures, with many rural complexes lacking water or electrical hookups. Having lots of storage space is also a great thing for a prepper to have. If you stockpiled a bunch of woodstoves in a pinch a storage unit complex could be quickly converted into an emergency shelter for a sizable group of friends or family members.
> 
> Prepping is important in case of SHTF, but so is long term financial security in general, and passive income could provide someone with the time and resources to afford some excellent preps. What do you think of these ideas? Would it be worth it or could it potentially introduce extra problems in SHTF and make you a big target? What are some of your ideas for passive income for a rural person with some land?


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## rice paddy daddy

I agree with the Slipmiester. Some of your ideas would require quite a bit of insurance. 
For example, someone using your shop out by the road has the car he’s working on fall and crush a leg.

Hunting lease, maybe. But most hunters around here form clubs and lease a thousand acres from a timber company.
I’m not sure how much income you could get from 5 guys on 10 acres.

We used to sell eggs from our chickens, but the thought of government intrusion ended that.
We just give our eggs to people who have helped us.


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## Chipper

Storage units are the ticket, IMHO. All depends on your location and if the need is there.


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## Sasquatch

Chipper said:


> Storage units are the ticket, IMHO. All depends on your location and if the need is there.


This is kind of what I was thinking. If you have the land let some person store their RV on your property or some weekend toys (quad's, motorcycles). That is certainly passive since you'll have to do nothing but let them sit on your land.

As others have said though insurance will be something you'll have to deal with and if you go this route have a strong lease agreement that clearly lays out what and when the person can do what they do (as far as picking up and returning the items).


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## StratMaster

You don't want the authorities telling you they found a meth lab in one of your outbuildings.


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## bigwheel

Well one of my old pals who owned two acres had a similar dielemma a few years back He say plant a grape vine every 15 feet or so around the edges of the property line and train it to grow up a T Post onto a four foot square of hog wire attached to the post. Keep it trimmed up to fit the the hog wire and install a drip irritgation system to deliver needed water to each vine. When the grapes ripen up invite the old widder ladies out to pick their own grapes to make jelly and wine etc. He said he made few thousand bucks a year off of that deal and did not bother the interior of his holdings. Kindly try that and report back. Thanks. He lived at 
Burkburnet which aint too far from Kansas.


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## jim-henscheli

Ye old meth lab? Just an rv and some old school chemistry shite. You good mane.


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## Inor

Not to put too fine a point on it but...

The money a customer pays you represents value that you have created for your customer. The idea of creating value from nothing is preposterous.

Have people been able to get money from "passive income" streams? Yes. But they are always short-lived and usually illegal.

The only reliable way to generate consistent income is to develop the skills to provide a product or service that your customers will value more than the cash in their wallet. Then, be prepared to work your ass off to promote that product or service to as many potential customers as you possibly can. Sorry buckshot, there's no free lunch. Every rich man I have ever met has been a hard working S.O.B. And everyone I have ever met that inherited money but not a work-ethic, ended up broke.


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## rice paddy daddy

The storage unit idea would require too much government intrusion for me.

Go before the Planning and Zoning Board to get your site plan approved. The site plan you had to hire a civil engineering firm to draw up.
Plan approved, you then petition the Board for a zoning change.
Meanwhile you are dealing with the appropriate office to get a small business license. 
Everything approved, get your building permits and build the units.

Don't forget to hire a good accountant to keep your books, pay the sales tax to the state, and the proper income tax to the feds.

Or, you could try to do it "under the radar", but sooner or later you would get caught, and the full weight of the government would fall upon you. They will get every penny in permits and taxes you should have paid, plus penalties.

You could simply grow produce and if there is a local farmers market, sell it there on Saturdays. That is done in our area and the county government does not bother the vendors.

My wife and I are very distrustful of government, at any level, and prefer to remain unseen by the wide eyes of Big Brother.
That's why to supplement our Social Security I simply got a part time job in town. Bing, bang, done!


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## stowlin

Having used storage units I’d advise against them if the OP land is part of prepping because storage units are about the first thing people will loot when SHTF. The physical barriers, fence, security are of no concern to wild hoards just my opinion. 

The OP mentioned a back 20 and hunting. Well I’d put in a tiny house and air b n b it too hunters.


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## Jayhawker

For the record, I do work hard. I have 2 jobs, both in agriculture. Worked to pay my way through college, been working since I left home at the age of 18. I get your point though. I'm not looking for a get rich quick scheme here. Anything I might provide for money - be that food products produced on site, guided quail hunts, a space for someone else to conduct business, or storage space, would be of value and definitely take input of work on my part. I have no real desire to be a rich man. I would like to live in relative comfort if possible however, and be able to be my own boss. Working in a confined pig operation isn't super fun, and exposes me to significant health risks. Maybe passive wasn't the right term to use. I just thought it might be a good idea to ask y'all about if you had any insight about ways to earn income on a rural property that doesn't involve farming directly. Small scale farming will always be a passion of mine, but I know after stocking market stands for four years that it's hard to get much above barely breaking even that way on a good year.


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## Jayhawker

Bigwheel, I really like that idea a lot. I already have a good two acres or so of blackberries on site that came with the property. A U-pick-em operation wouldn't be hard to set up at all, and would likely have a super low cost for me to get started this coming season even.


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## StratMaster

Inor said:


> Not to put too fine a point on it but...
> 
> The money a customer pays you represents value that you have created for your customer. The idea of creating value from nothing is preposterous.
> 
> Have people been able to get money from "passive income" streams? Yes. But they are always short-lived and usually illegal.
> 
> The only reliable way to generate consistent income is to develop the skills to provide a product or service that your customers will value more than the cash in their wallet. Then, be prepared to work your ass off to promote that product or service to as many potential customers as you possibly can. Sorry buckshot, there's no free lunch. Every rich man I have ever met has been a hard working S.O.B. And everyone I have ever met that inherited money but not a work-ethic, ended up broke.


You bet Inor. The only passive income stream I have is now that I'm retired. 50 years of hard work, and that finally invested in stuff I don't have to mess with every day LOL. A guy/gal can get there, but it's closer to the end of the old dirt road than the beginning. When you're young, you work your butt off and build capital.


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## bigwheel

Jayhawker said:


> Bigwheel, I really like that idea a lot. I already have a good two acres or so of blackberries on site that came with the property. A U-pick-em operation wouldn't be hard to set up at all, and would likely have a super low cost for me to get started this coming season even.


Well all smart folks think alike. Was one of the best passive income legalized schemes I ever heard about too. I tried a minature variant at Vernon which the dirt is all red blow sand and it worked well but i aint got much of a greeen thumb and too busy with a job to do it right. I think you could make it work by golly.


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## Smitty901

As a land owner a warning you should consider. When you give others access to you land you open your self up to problems. No madder how much any rules you make help you sleep felling you are protected . The court and laws may not see it your way. Once you take compensation in any form you are open to a lot of problems.
Example in Wisconsin I can allow recreational use of my land and not be held liable but if I take any compensation I become as liable as any court of LEO wants to hold me. The snowmobile that runs through my land protects me under state law as I take nothing for it.
Same with those I allow to hunt. If I took payment the whole picture changes. Many make good money leasing hunting land , some I know do not carry needed protection insurance. Risky thing to do. When you allow some one on your land for the purpose of making you money or other compensation you become a target.


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## rice paddy daddy

Jayhawker said:


> Bigwheel, I really like that idea a lot. I already have a good two acres or so of blackberries on site that came with the property. A U-pick-em operation wouldn't be hard to set up at all, and would likely have a super low cost for me to get started this coming season even.


That would be an idea. In North Florida blackberries grow like weeds, year round. On my property, two acres of them would double in just a couple of years. I have to keep them cut back to keep them from taking over all my fence lines.
You mentioned raising quail. Near us there is a several hundred acre operation, one part of which is canned quail hunts. I personally don't think it's sportsmanlike, but city folks pay big bucks.
The "hunter' buys a number of birds, which are then released for him to shoot at as he walks thru the pine woods.


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## Chiefster23

Around here some landowners generate income by allowing other farmers to mow and bale hay off their land.


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## Jayhawker

I agree, it's not very sportsmanlike at all. I went on one when I was a kid to introduce me to hunting but I wouldn't now. But that is what I was thinking. I know for a fact that there are city folks who would pay three hundred or more for a canned quail hunt, for ten or fifteen birds. I wouldn't really feel bad for the birds because after all, how many chickens get a chance to escape before you eat them?


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## bigwheel

My cousin in Maine raises cannibis and quail. Apparently makes money on it. Hes set up as a non profit medical dispenser on the marriedjomama. He dont sell but gladly accpets tax deductib;e donations. He makes candy and creams..pills..beef jerky.etc. Sure he be glad to give tips on getting into either one of those businesses. Quail prob be more legal in Kansas. 
https://www.facebook.com/Raspberry-Hill-Quail-Farm-133521330815957/


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## StratMaster

rice paddy daddy said:


> That would be an idea. In North Florida blackberries grow like weeds, year round. On my property, two acres of them would double in just a couple of years. I have to keep them cut back to keep them from taking over all my fence lines.
> You mentioned raising quail. Near us there is a several hundred acre operation, one part of which is canned quail hunts. I personally don't think it's sportsmanlike, but city folks pay big bucks.
> The "hunter' buys a number of birds, which are then released for him to shoot at as he walks thru the pine woods.


Kinda like when my dad took me fishing at a trout farm about 100 years ago LOL, just didn't quite seem a fair challenge.
We have HUGE walls of blackberries here as well, which provide LOTS of free pies every year. They make an impenetrable barrier as well if grown from the base of a cyclone fence with barbed wire... a couple of years and the fence doesn't even show, and the briars are 10 feet tall. Security AND free pie, now that's America!


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## rice paddy daddy

The berries ripen in May here.
The birds get the top ones, the rabbits the bottom ones, and we get what’s left. 
Interesting thing I learned about blackberries - only the green stems produce fruit. After a couple of years of berries, they stop and the stems darken to a brown color. To keep things thriving the brown stems need to be cut back.
And that’s a thorny proposition.


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## StratMaster

rice paddy daddy said:


> The berries ripen in May here.
> The birds get the top ones, the rabbits the bottom ones, and we get what's left.
> Interesting thing I learned about blackberries - only the green stems produce fruit. After a couple of years of berries, they stop and the stems darken to a brown color. To keep things thriving the brown stems need to be cut back.
> And that's a thorny proposition.


We have to cut them back every year or we won't have a YARD LOL!


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## Squadus

Write a book and enjoy the royalties from it. You could also self-publish it on Amazon if you wanted. Another idea would be to purchase foreclosed homes or bankrupt homes off the market and resell them for a profit or even rent them out for passive income. 

If you are a technical person, start a website and build an income with SEO or through an email list selling either your own product or someone else's (affiliate marketing). If you know how to market effectively and generate ROI then you could also do Adwords.


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## Marica

Our idea of passive "income" on our farm is more bartering or swapping. For example, the pastures on the property have to be bush-hogged twice a year. A fair amount of money if we paid cash or all of it. But we don't. The guy who bush-hogs runs sheep in one of the pastures, and gives us a significant break. We got a donkey for free b/c some other guy needed to get rid of it. We swap preserved stuff in return for burning brush piles. 

I guess my point would be to remember that currency is a vehicle. What do you want/need to be done? Who can do it? What do you have of value (besides $$) that they want/need? Granted, that doesn't work if you are n desperate need of a new iPhone... .


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## bigwheel

Recall not too long after Alfgore invented the internet i asked a computer guru how to make money on the new cyber highway. He said the best way was to offer how to courses to teach folks how to do it. He acted like it didnt much matter what you told em. He said porno was also lucrative.


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## modfan

I've thought about this several time in the past. To me the best thing are storage units. Now there are a few things you have to do to make it work. Don't just put it in the corner of your land and rent.

First find a little piece of ground within 5 to 10 miles.
Form a corporation that will build the facility and own it
Next form an LLC that will lease the ground from the corporation owning the building
Build the facility with a small 2bdr house (this will be for the caretaker)
Give the caretaker paycheck. Not just free rent. Pay a Accountant to handle paying the caretaker. Have the caretaker rent the house month to month.

Now the interesting part is the money track
The caretaker deposits the Receipts daily into a lockbox at the bank.
Have the same accountant handle paying all of the fixed bills per month and you approve any emergency bills. Also have the accountant pay the corporation for the lease.
The lease cost is a business expense for the llc and a profit for the corporation. The corporation amortizes the building cost of the property. 
When the amortization length ends you sell the property and build a different one or you expand that one.
There are a few other accounting things to do to maximize you return


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## youngridge

I am having trouble picturing this land, where I am from we don’t have any zoning issues on our rural land until you hit city limits.

I would advise looking at a specialty crop to grow, I take it you farm? Not hemp though, something different than the run of the mill. Something like specialty beans, cover crop seed, etc where you don’t have to make a huge investment into equipment, just use what you already have. 

If the land has any equity in it, put it up as collateral and invest in some housing for rental properties or even commercial properties. You said you work in a confinement barn so I would think you’d have to stick in the area some what. 

I am going to get some heat for this one but acreage and the type of ground would give me a better idea, but my recommendation would be level every thing on the land and get it tillable, unfortunately paying any amount for trees on the acreage don’t make you money and you still have to pay taxes to the middle of the road(some may not like this but if you want trees go buy some land and plant some, then figure out how to pay for the land and the taxes on top of it), focus on getting the best yields you possibly can off of the farm and if some of it is complete junk farm it until it is eligible for CRP or a pollinator program. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jacky

Have you looked into beekeeping?

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk


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## Elvis

Jacky said:


> Have you looked into beekeeping?
> 
> Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk


Yep, You can make some money with honeybees but there are only so many hives you can keep on a property. Now if you can put 20-40 hives here and another bunch of hives 3 miles away ect you can really make some honey. We keep 10 hives but I'm considering putting some at other locations.


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## jimb1972

I don't know about Kansas, but around here there are orchards and berry farms where farmers plant and care for trees and plants, and people pay them to come harvest the produce.


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## Comms

Marketing and advertising programs can be a significant source of residual income as most will allow you to have a limited investment in terms of time and capital but as long as your customers continue to share your links or pages you will continue to earn from the comfort of your home, I'm sure everyone here is familiar with craigslist spam, believe it or not all of that is extremely easy to start and 1 paying person is more than enough to bankroll the project for months.


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## SOCOM42

I will stay with what i know, gunsmithing, now retired it affords a good cash flow, and takes up some dead time.

Also, I don't want anybody on any of my land either, for any reason.


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## Smitty901

If you raise crops like corn soybean , Wheat ect you have to harvest a lot to make anything. Several ways 1 is just rent the land you have no involvement. You have a set price regardless of how crops go. Doing it on half's , you provide the land at a stated value then all cost are shared. The crops income is split . Can work out well if you choose to be involved. Down side is no predicable income. You have to be involved.. 
Small plots of land can make good money on produce in the right area. Downside a lot of labor and time is needed. To mitigate weather changes you must invest to compensate when nature does not get it prefect. 
Anyway you try to earn income from land has Tax issues. In many cases what you can and can not write off and or recover is based on how much you are at risk. 
Placing land in some Set aside programs can be a good deal for some. Down side is they are generally longer term and require some public access be granted. Works best for land that may not be the best for farming but falls with in the requirements of the program.
Big downside Government in you business 100%.
Another downside to cash rent is if the renter goes broke. Often contract calls for to payments to help protect from that. Often you may be much better off with a person that is know to be and can prove they are stable at a lower price than someone offering more that may stop paying. If you find a good renter long term agreements work best for both 5 years or so. It allows the renter to invest in the treatment of the land looking at longer term returns. Examples are crop rotation, weed and pest management along with fertilizer programs. 
In some places should a renter fail to pay his bills you could be held liable for payment. Make sure that is cover correctly in any contract. Not just saying you are not liable but covering it the way your state law requires.


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## Limit Killer

My wife and I are trying our hand at owning rental houses. We'll see if it pays off.

Raise the limits.


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## Smitty901

Limit Killer said:


> My wife and I are trying our hand at owning rental houses. We'll see if it pays off.
> 
> Raise the limits.


 Good luck and best have a really good lawyer ready at all times.


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## SOCOM42

Smitty901 said:


> Good luck and best have a really good lawyer ready at all times.


Yeah, a real good one.

Owned a few units in the 70's, what is called a three decker.

Wife (first) worked for a lawyer, he did any of ours Pro Bono.

You cannot believe what assholes some people can be or the stupid things they can do.


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## The Tourist

Sasquatch said:


> If you have the land let some person store their RV on your property.


I would also champion this idea. I had just a tiny garage when I was in college, and I was lucky to find that for my motorcycle. A mentor told me about a good, locked, safe place for "summer toys," so I took my bike there. Yikes, the place was as big as airplane hangar and every truck, camper and motorcycle was there, at monthly fees!

Imagine if we had that and charged modern prices? Oy, vey...


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## Limit Killer

Smitty901 said:


> Good luck and best have a really good lawyer ready at all times.


My wife has been working in real estate for quite awhile now. Half the people she knows are realty specific lawyers.

I'd rather try something, fail and have to start over than worry about what if's and sit on the sidelines wondering what could have been.

Raise the limits.


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## Smitty901

Limit Killer said:


> My wife has been working in real estate for quite awhile now. Half the people she knows are realty specific lawyers.
> 
> I'd rather try something, fail and have to start over than worry about what if's and sit on the sidelines wondering what could have been.
> 
> Raise the limits.


 Won't disagree there. Not being a smart ass when I wish you luck. The way laws are now days renters can really mess with you . I have seen it.
Bubba and bubet rent the place or lease it. Even if you have rules against it . they let a few friends move in . Issue arise . You are going to find in most place you have to evict each one separately and it will cost you. And in many state the city will fight you on their behalf.


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