I will add my anecdotes: flipping has been good to me and my family, but we do it one the side, when we find a good deal. 

These all require applicants to submit an acceptable Letter of Explanation addressing each specific issue and occurrence.Rental HistoryBecause a current landlord may say anything to get rid of a bad tenant out of desperation, we also require information for the previous landlord of all applicants…Analyze IncomeMany landlords require a month of paystubs from applicants and just use these to calculate a monthly qualifying income…Employment StabilityUnless an applicant has exceptional credit, we strive to determine their stability of employment…AssetsWe are one of the few management companies that requires a bank statement as part of our application process…Letter Of ExplanationAny time there are credit issues or we discover an inconsistency, we require a written letter of explanation (LOX)…UnderwritingTraditionally, landlords have only looked at the income of applicants…ApprovalOnce an applicant is approved, we require a nonrefundable Holding Fee to make sure they are serious…

That said, some good locks and cameras (even fake ones) do go a long way.

Nobody ever went broke over a duplex, I know this now,  but I have to admit I had some serious doubts about this when I started 16 years ago, I bought every course I could find, already on CD's, this was post cassette tapes lol, and I paid RichDad Education for a one year coaching program (turned out my coach was a girl in a call center without any actual experience). 

I continue to be shocked by home prices for a 3 bedroom/2 bath and multiple offers, $3.2 million for 2000 sq ft home as one example. 

Real Estate along the coasts is always a good bet for appreciation, as there is only so much land and you can only build in one direction.

•Instead of transferring the title, consider using strong landlord insurance, an umbrella policy, or a land trust (with your LLC as the beneficiary) for added liability protection.Your FHA Loan Potential for Another Property•Since your first home is already a rental but was likely purchased with an FHA loan, you may still be eligible for another FHA loan—but only if you meet one of these conditions:•You relocate at least 100 miles away from your current home.

But you are paying now --  So, you'll pay one way or the other.

The developers pushing agents to sell one of their townhouses as a STR really inflated the asset cost cause they were pricing it on a revenue structure, not asset.

The closest one to me is 2 hours away so I’ve only ever been to 1 meetup that was held locally and was primarily realtors and people in banking.