The city has good macro economic factors and a strong economy - I looked for cities that were at least better than the national average when it came to population growth, wage growth, median sales price growth, etc 2.

For this similar price. 2 bedrooms under $300k : rent a room, Reno the condo, increase value and let it ride while paying down the loan , taking tax benefits and growing equity.

Also another thing to consider are most municipalities will significantly increase your taxes if you pop the top of the house.

It's a valley in bitcoin's price, and the price has increased 4X since that point. 

Did we see interest rates increase at a rate we've never seen in the last 40+ years?

2.) looking for advice on how to deploy 600+ thousand dollars into real estate and start receiving the cash flow from it without having to pull the 401(k) out and swallow the tax ramifications.I currently own 13 units and receive healthy cash flow from all of them, but I am looking to increase my cash flow so I can ease into the next phase of my life which includes work of a different kind but not doesn’t having a 9 to 5 job.Thanks in advance!

Always look for strong economic drivers like population growth and job market growth.

This has become increasingly problematic  with rising material costs and more burdensome building codes now present in most municipalities. 

Well owners who already had section 8 tenants in place didn't want to spend $5, $10, $15k or more upgraded a unit that has a tenant in place just to maintain the rents they had (or have a slight increase) so a lot of section 8 approved properties stopped taking section 8.Right after COVID though, it seems that section 8 has lowered their standards a bit.

If you are working with a reputable company, then you buy the property, hold the property and look up 7-10 years down the road and have a home that has increased in value and a debt that has been reduced by your renter.