LTRs with long term conventional financing and standard management aren't really cash flowing anywhere right now. sure, there are lower cost markets that look better on paper, but there are costs associated with those supposedly cheap markets as well - deferred maintenance, more challenging tenant base, higher cost turnovers as a percentage of the rent.2. i wouldn't pick a random market thousands of miles away based solely on statistics or numbers. 

I gained equity in the property, and I got higher rents which lowered my living expenses while living there.

I rented out the additional bedrooms to friends and family, charging them well below market, and sold when it was time for my wife and I to start our own adventures.

Again you can buy more properties in lower asset class area, but it's less efficient.There are many threads about appreciation, so i won't repeat it here, but my guidance to you is to think through the difference between appreciation and inflation. 

However, many DSCR lenders have a minimum loan amount of $100K, which can make it challenging for investors to secure financing for lower-priced properties. 

Typically people charging for that service are doing it because they need the money...if you catch my drift. 

I rented out the additional bedrooms to friends and family, charging them well below market, and sold when it was time for my wife and I to start our own adventures.

Typically needs 20% down, but offers lower rates and you can ditch the PMI (private mortgage insurance) once you reach 20% equity.

No guaranteed way to stop a determined, experienced thief:(Only deterrents that push them to easier jobs.The roof may be a good idea - until they figure out the just need a ladder to get up there and a rope to lower it down. 

But I get it in the lower value assets of the mid west and rust belt cities wholesalers dominate because they spend 100s of thousands in marketing for those type of assets..