It's a balance of cashflow and wealth accumulation.One of the goals is to have tenants pay as much of your cost-of-ownership as possible (loans, taxes, insurance, etc.)In high-cost areas, any Class A or B property you buy will usually negative cashflow for the first 3-5 years, until rents rise enough to cover the negative cashflow + rising taxes & insurance.Investing OOS increases your risks because you may not know the market and you can't check on everything/everyone all the time.If you move forward with your buddies, HIGHLY recommend creating a solid Partnership Agreement!

That’s reassuring and I’ll check out that book.

Check the unit for pets.

Also, check out Eng Taing at Touzi .

Check out The Ultimate Guide to Grading Cleveland Neighborhoods to get a firm grasp on why that is.

If you decide to invest I would encourage you to check out North Carolina.

If you don't double & triple check everything, you stand to lose money while the people promising you the world make money.  

I make sure I screen each potential tenant thoroughly (background and credit checks) and require references.

Lastly, check your conversion rate to see how many clicks turn into actual leads.Test different audiences and ad creatives to find what works best, and don’t worry if it takes time to dial things in.

Have you had a chance to check out any local meetups or REIA (Real Estate Investors Association) events?