It is a mathematical fact that if you are buying a rental property in any city where the monthly mortgage payment exceeds monthly rental income, or where mortgage payments along with monthly expenses exceed monthly rent, if any of those scenario applies, a down payment would be only other material method to avoid a negative cash flow situation.You let the investor worry about his gamble on the market going up.. thats not your problem.

I would have started learning about investing in RE in college rather than gambling on stocks while taking notes.If I have the knowledge and drive back then I might have skipped a party to buy a house or two. 

NOTE that you are gambling that the Interest Rate will AVERAGE 6% for the HELOC.

Buying for appreciation is a gamble.

I know people do it, so it can be done, but especially in a multiple replacement property situation, it's a gamble!

Hate to echo all the wise responses above, but it does sound like you're setting yourself up to be a potential distressed foreclosure statistic the next time prices start dropping or your good neighbourhood goes bad (and thinking it can't happen is not being optimistic, it's pure gambling).Keep renting until you can afford better, or even keep renting period, and invest in real investments, as opposed to the home you want to be living in - you can rent that home easily enough, with no big dramas occurring if you're suddenly stressed for cash for whatever reason, and have to downscale - you simply move to a smaller place in that case.The criteria for the home you want to live in and the good investment you want to purchase are completely different - often contradictory.

Therefore, I am uncertain as to how much I can profit, and therefore, I am on hold.I would say that if you already had Portfolio of buildings like mine which had properties acquired decades ago and had already captured a large amount of Appreciation where the Price may move down a bit, then it's worth keeping for the Gamble that the future politics may not touch 2 to 4 Family Buildings.So for me personally, I am keeping the portfolio but am not expanding it.What I will expand, however, is my Property Management business should the future regulate my buildings!

This is a 1 bedroom condo that does not make sense to rent out.Purchase price: 390kRehab:  30kCurrent value: 485kWhen I say 485k, I mean that if I put it on the market for that price today then it would have 10 offers for that price within a day.So the main question is:Do I sell it now and pay the higher taxes on the sale, or do I gamble with waiting till October to avoid paying capital gains taxes?

Going in debt to invest is gambling.

These are the normal people in society.Those that decide to gamble savings do so with the understanding that they are risking it all by starting.