Diversifying portfolio in recession preparation?

[Roman Rytov]

I've been building my portfolio for a couple of years aiming at two things:

- good tenant profile (working history, credit score, security deposit)

- area reliability (easiness to rent, density of working options)

I also didn't want to leverage too much and not to bet exclusively on the appreciation factor, always planned to have enough cash flow so all the (large) expenses are covered by the portfolio itself without requiring additional inflows. 

My ideal house was a ranch 3bdr, 2bth, about 1450-1750 sq ft in areas with a modern appreciation rate and I bought a few duplexes in an area with a higher appreciation although, much better ROI (when rented) while the tenants proved to be more troublesome as well.

I talk to other landlords who invest aiming at the appreciation factor mostly with their rental ROI way worse than mine. I'm offered houses in the areas where the ROI is extremely good but the appreciation is non existent.

Given the recently growing talks proclaiming coming recession (and in the long-term real estate the question is not if but when) how do you make your portfolio ready for it? What are the risks that you're trying to mitigate? Do you focus your portfolio on high ROI, appreciation, tenant strength, etc.? Do you focus on a single factor or spread it over?

If the task is to survive the recession (assuming you don't have to sell) and keep the rental income steady what questions one need to ask for herself and what factors to take into consideration?

many thanks for your input!