While it only returns 5.23% currently, it provides a great cushion allowing sufficient time to wait out a crash without having to resort to selling properties at inopportune times - at fire sale prices.5- I keep a large part of my portfolio in high yielding notes secured by real property - and while I want every loan to make payments as agreed, my experience indicates that a certain percentage will default with me owning the property during periods of economic contraction.

Landlords who pay attention, are ready to wait, play by the rules of the local laws, and have enough volume or cushion to ride out the outlier experiences, have seen, and I believe will continue to see, the benefits of lack of competition accrue to them to the tune of millions of dollars. 

If you have the cash to invest, it's probably the safest to do cash or put some cash in so you have cushion,

It raised a couple of questions in my mind about the risks of wholesaling, namely the implications in the event that you assign a contract and the buyer backs out.It seems to me that Paid at Assignment would both:Result in committed assignees, otherwise they would risk losing the money they paid the assignor, andProvide the assignor with a significant cash cushion against breach of contract if they cannot locate another buyer prior to closing, and ultimately decide to cancel the contract with the property owner.But this raises another question. 

Instead of $1500 in training you could buy some liens and consider the $1500 you are saving as a cushion for losses.

Then rinse and repeat the process until you are out of VA eligibility and refi the first property into a conventional mortgage.The key here is that you need to add that sweat equity to the properties, providing a cushion for market fluctuations and increasing the rental potential for each home.

There will also be many unknowns that you can plan for or build a cushion if an assumption is wrong.

Reversible cushions. measure the room and make sure you pick a good size for the room so it isn't crowded.   

$23000 plus you or Mom need a cushion for reserves as you won't rent it day one.

If you can come out with $10,000 - $15,000 in cash, after-tax, in you bank account, BEYOND the amount that you will be putting down on the property (the 3.5% down PLUS $10K cushion), you are probably getting to the point where you can make a house-hack purchase where the risk/reward is in your favor.