I, personally, can't stomach being deceitful especially with so much gray area and unknowns, but some information is not their business.

I had a professor that said ethics are rules that are developed by people who have full stomachs that want to keep their stomachs full.

My heartrate increased just reading that post.Value or not, that is more risk than I could stomach!

Also make sure you have the stomach for tenants and toilets and you set up proper asset protection.

The tenant pool is terrific and tenants pay realtor fees, so that is very helpful.As for owning versus index funds, that's a personal question -- you've got to think about marketing timing, stomach for risk, etc.If you pay close attention, there are some fixer up condos in the Cambridge area that sell for over $100 under comps.

It's hard to stomach a cash-out refi when I only have 6yrs left on my rental @ 3.75% and the interest rate on my primary home is just 2.75%.

Pay attention to any statements that mention “risk to the bank’s collateral or security” (queasy stomach clauses) and make sure you understand you may get cash calls if your LTV drops.  

If you're looking to invest, but don't necessarily have the stomach to do out of state investing, there are plenty of people on here that invest in Memphis and/or Chattanooga and are cashflowing. 

Most can't afford the purchase price in the first place, would never qualify for financing due to DTI calculated on the property and many investors simply can't stomach the negative balance each month while waiting for appreciation.I do agree with your point that this a strategy that takes a smart, focused, well-funded investor who understands precisely how they are going to profit from each deal and wants in and out as soon as possible, but that is not the same investor who bought or is even buying in the midwest.  

Here in Columbus, the city is really cracking down on landlords who have been deferring maintenance to the point where tenants done have heat or a roof that doesn't leak.You're exactly right that those people have to live somewhere, and for those who can stomach the risk of owning in these areas, more power to them!