Akron is a very blue city and are not very landlord friendly - source of income protections, etc... 

He abandoned trying to scale.Learning from this experience when my partner and I decided we wanted to double our net income, we realized it would take a increase of 2 1/2 time our volume and probably need to triple our deal flow.  

This is how I see it:Single-Family Homes:Pros:Larger pool of potential tenants (families).Simpler management (one tenant, one lease).Often easier to finance.May appreciate faster in some markets.Cons:Only one income stream.Vacancy hits harder financially.Duplexes:Pros:Two potential income streams.Live in one unit and rent the other (house hacking!)

Quote from @Erick Pena: A "good" rental property is one that covers all expenses (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance, property management fees, and any other costs) and still leave a surplus (commonly referred to as cash flow).Calculate cash flow as: Cash Flow = Rental Income − Operating Expenses − DebtThere's much more to it, but that's the basic idea.

Check credit, income, and rental history.

I would spend a few bucks on nice ads in local magazines and/or do flyers in areas that are higher income. 

This requires an income that allows you to maintain your standard of living throughout your life.

I specialize in STR & Co-living concepts, which I recommend for the highest rental income potential! 

The northwest suburbs of Akron are the higher  income areas.  

As the cleaning company continues to grow, I am looking to invest in real estate to create more passive income.