@Daniel Dietzfrom my perspective it does seem smarter to take advantage of these record low interest rates. 

Is it worth the maintenance and all the extra costs?

Don't forget to determine how much deferred maintenance there is - i.e., how much will you have to pay to keep the properties maintained when you first buy them or within the next few years. 

I believe a lot of our investors have success because the rent to value ratio makes sense, our PM is 8% and also our taxes are very low (I'm in Kansas City.)

Is it worth the maintenance and all the extra costs?

When things went "pop" south of the 49th and we watched them slide off the tracks, there was an about face in Ottawa (a slow one, but it did finally happen) and regulators for residential real estate financing started to reverse course.It is still easier to borrow to buy real estate than it was in the 80s and the unprecedented run of low - almost no - interest rates has helped fuel the continued rise of several real estate markets in the country which should have gone "pop" themselves some years ago.

Owning a lot of SFHs for cash means low levels of risk, but also lower levels of return, since cash locked into a home is only performing at the rate of return for that home, rather than leveraged for maximum return.

He said hd/lowes can sometimes beat him on the carpet + install initial price, but where they get you is the "Specialty Items" like tack strips and transitions that aren't included and are grossly overpriced.

If not - we will go into second stage negotiations to get a better price.Once we agree that the price is right - that is low enough to make an equity profit - we will than use my pro-active auction marketing system (one that I have used for over 20 years) to sell the property  - all cash in as is condition with NO contingencies with settlement in 30 days.We will advertise the property for sale for 3 weeks and than have a public auction - so as an example if we control the property for $100,000 and sell it for $120,000 - that means we make $20,000.How much do you make if we are successful in finding an assignee? 

I was in Butte looking at some low end properties to rehab. 6 plex for $100k?