I experienced about 5 years of negative cash flow, until my rents surpassed my expenses.  

I have only one property that has not had my initial investment pulled out.If you want initial cash flow, So Cal may not be the place to invest but its measured returns have surpassed virtually everywhere else in the US (so claiming somewhere with sub $200K properties has had higher returns than So Cal is not based on facts). 

Software changes are occurring all the time and so a lot of older posts could very have outdated info, surpassed with newer/better versions, newer products (hopefully!). 

I can even see how the properties would surpass my 401K balance in a decade pretty easily. 

The rehab costs have far surpassed our budget due to some masked  issues(missing copper lines in walls, dangerous wiring almost throughout...all covered with sheetrock) Also, the city is requiring us to pour new approaches at "multifamily" thicknesses; about $9k worth. 

I'm already more than a 3rd of the way there, so I very likely will surpass this goal too.

My second goal is to create an income stream that will surpass my previous employments, which will allow me to stay home with my kids and keep a flexible work schedule.

The best DGI stocks start off at 4% yield but the growth rate will surpass turnkeys in no time so your Yield on Cost (YoC) starts to outperform only after a few years down the road.

We own a vertically integrated real estate firm with 80 employees and will surpass 200 million in assets under management by the end of this year.If you want to do what I do absolutely start small and use your own money before taking others' capital. 

This is different than the profit from cash flow or appreciation but helps both in their exit options. 5% appreciation might barely beat inflation but on a leveraged property it far surpasses inflation.