At those price points I'm assuming this is a more cash flow area like the rust belt, or other mid west geography.

Yes not just for cash flow but for the health of the deal.

I'm terrified of doing all this research, finding a "dream" property, only for it to fail and negative cash flow. 

You're never going to be 3% financing and if it cash flows, I would lean toward keeping it.

Especially in Dayton, where you'll get that high cash-flow. 

Build strong partnerships with agents, wholesalers, and investors who understand off-market deal flow and can bring you opportunities others never see.

It is hard to pin down specifically, but that seems to have been a factor in a few of the ARV-Appraisals that I've seen and has impacted the refinancing process.Otherwise, it has been a great market for my clients, great cash flows and repeatability which has really helped as they have scaled.

I plan on renting a unit and probably getting a roommate or two in my unit to maximize cash flow early on.

Getting a property with a 3% mortgage that offered both equity appreciation and solid cash flow is what sparked my passion for real estate investing.

That one month of lost income will take seven months of cash flow to recover.