Or is the purpose of buying those to have steady monthly income? 

What we do have is a fairly steady job market compared to other areas and abundant liquidity looking for yield.

Before long, investors were piling into the grand ballroom and the quiet whispers of the morning became a slow and steady roar, as investors from all over the US introduced themselves to each other, exchanged business cards and shared their stories of where they're from and why they're here.

@Eric A.As I see it, one thing could be added to your scenarios - time.What is better: a steady but smaller flow of money from rental properties now or a big chunk of money 10 years later?

I've got mentors who indicate that I'll need to offer on multiple deals per week to build up a pipeline of steady deals which makes absolute sense once the business is up and going. but for my first deal should I follow that advise?

There's a healthy investment to get certified, insurance, etc so wanted to get a temperature gauge before diving in. 

Here is how I approach it-Same type of property, bedrooms, bath, etc (if I can find similar houses)I try to keep the Comp properties in the same school districtI go back 3 months to start (the market is different now than it was 6 months or a year ago)Then I account for upgrades, market temperature, etc.That gives me a range- if I feel the property should be higher than average I need to be able to justify that because properties are sold twice- once to the buyer and once to the appraiser

This has slowed up the process a tad, but we are starting off slow and steady, and not putting any extra stress/risk on our business.  

I was trying to stay away from trying to get a loan since I'm a full-time student and have no steady income, I only work during breaks.

HelloI'm trying to urgently put together a comparison and a temperature check for the average 25-year mortgage rates available in the SF Bay Area.