They seem rarely occupied to me. 

To me, having one mortgage payment for 2 - 4 houses (basically) always seemed interesting and like something that would give me more bang for my buck. 

It seems like it would be great to flip one property while planning on getting another one ready to add to my rental holdings.

I read the permitting process and it seems somewhat strict.

I am starting to realize there has been a significant amount of consolidation in the space by private equity and other institutional investors. 3) From research it also seems like getting financing can be difficult without prior experience in the space.

It seems like the perfect place, BiggerPockets, for finding people who are like-minded, asking them questions, and learning how to become a future investor.I believe that no matter how unforgiving the market may seem, the right tools, knowledge, and preparation can help minimize risk and create opportunities.

I've been looking at a lot of smaller towns around Cleveland, Ohio and have noticed there are a lot of seemingly decent cash flow properties, but more around the 1.5-1.8% rate.

This seems unrealistically low for a 40 unit property.

sign a master lease with a struggling office landlord, have revenue splits.This seems like your only path forward

It seems ridiculous, but that's the world we live in now.