I’d truly advise you against this Amy. As Laura pointed out there are so many potential expenses, and most of them are big expenses. Now if you weren’t going to be relying on the tenant for part of your mortgage payment, but rather for extra income, that would be different. And with your potential tenant being a friend? Oh, so much can go wrong with that so quickly.

You also have to consider other expenses that might put you in a bind. What if you have a plumbing issue that must be rectified and that same week your car needs to have expensive work done? What would your back up plan be? That's usually the way it works; more than one expense at a time. Just this month we spent $550 on my car and had a leak in our sprinkler that we didn't know about. The water bill was unexpected and painful, let me tell you.

FWIW, I think you should find something you like (or can endure) and go back to school. You can’t go wrong with knowledge; it can only help you in the long run.

Whatever you do, I wish you luck!