Hi Kevin,I'm a big fan of buying with cash and my thought process is quite contrary to everyone else's.Cash is KingCashflow is QueenLeverage can be a peasant lolOne can retire investing in Toledo with $1m in cash.Off-course, this all depends on how many villages you need to feed 🤓I have too many "villagers" on my back so it's a bit of a different story for me.Sub $100,000 markets like Toledo require volume to work and to be worth the risk if you are looking to buy and hold.Not much growth potential long term so I would consider it a strict cashflow play.Start slow and small and you can always scale up once you learn the market.Or call it quits and exit if you decide it's not for you.IMO, leverage should only be used to scale a portfolio and only after you have immersed yourself enough in a specific market.And only once you have decided that you want to stick around in that specific market and invest in it long term.Over the years, I've witnessed many folks use leverage and attempt BRRRR out of state only to fall short and say "the market sucks and it doesn't work".Nothing works unless you make it work and a market like Toledo can work better than any other market I know from a cashflow perspective.I've been investing since 2014 and flipped hundreds along with currently managing 400 SFH.Only this year have I started buying small multifamily properties.It's an adjustment and a different animal but let's just say it's in the same breed of animal lolImmerse yourself in a specific market and become an "expert" on the numbers in that market.Find off market deals, negotiate hard, buy with cash and buy quickly.You make money when you buy and not when you sell so you must buy cheap.There are many ways to skin a cat mate and this is how I get my fur lolWishing you much success

I now see real estate as my way to retirement.

However, health concerns forced me to step away from the hustle about 6 years ago.Fast forward to today, I'm officially retired and living in sunny California with a renewed sense of energy (and much better health!).

Full time happens with 100+ units and often you see people scale a business on the side, like PM, construction or something unrelated like a resort in Costa Rica ;-) I am no different - I "retired" from my corporate career in 2015 and quickly realized that I can only watch so much daytime TV. 

Is it for cash flow, appreciation, retirement, quitting your job?

You are stepping into one of the best passive retirement strategies hands down. - 100% passive- Fixed Monthly Income- High Yields of 10-15% APY- Personal Guaranteed debt- Backed by Real Assets- Insured by Insurance companiesHere are some guidelines you should STICK BY:1.

Real estate is supposed to be the little extra that you end up retiring with.It's kinda like the 401k.

If you are close to retirement or looking to plan ahead I would recommend, Cashing in Tax Free written by Leslie Pappas. 

You might also be a good candidate for a small boutique hotel, an operator looking to retire will often entertain seller financing on fair terms and you could likely qualify for a SBA loan to help with your vision. 

I've looked around and trying to find an investment property for the next 10 years, but more or less where my wife and I will retire.