I suppose it could be a first time in history sort of thing but as far as statistics go the market has always recovered and always went up further than ever before.

Your listing needs to talk up the excellent schools more.

Consider your credit score and history to determine your eligibility for traditional or creative financing.

And then hold.To me, I'd suggest you look at smaller towns that have good schools and are close to cities so that you can get houses closer to that 200k or less mark yet still have a shot at decent appreciation and decent rental increases over time.

Not at all and history shows elsewise, but I don't see this going anywhere than yet another pointless internet argument--so good luck!

It’s harder once you have kids in school.

A high-quality tenant typically has a stable income, good credit history, and positive references from previous landlords.

You haven't shared anough about the applicant's employment history to make a real solid underwriting recommendation. - How many hours will they be working at each job? 

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?

@Alex Lickenbrock If your young family needs schools and you don't want to pay for private, you may want to consider the suburbs (and there is a range of school/suburb quality as well).