Also look for properties that you could cover the whole monthly nut on your own and dont have to have the rent to survive. 

This caused me to change my focus to finding opportunities which can survive brutal economic shifts. 

Hopefully I can negotiate a lower price for treating a house that's totally stripped and empty of furniture.Has anyone else had bed bugs that survived the nuclear winter of a renovation?

We went through the real estate crash of 2008 and survived it together.

When I started with wife we really didn't have a clue.Got (stuck with ) property last big meltdown but we have survived and now sort of house hacking which finds me in a better market to prosper.

@Eric Fitzgerald Write down your take home payWrite down your total expenses Find ways of eliminating expenses Subtract expenses from take home pay and see your left over money First thing is to create an emergency fund so if you ever lose a job you can still survive..typically 3 months is good, but I suggest 6 months Use a high interest savings accountI recommend reading ramit sethis book I will teach you to be a millionaire and Scott Trench's set for life.There are tons of strategies out there for saving and making money, you'll have to find what works best for you and most important thing is to stick with it.

There are too many things out of your control (I can give you plenty of stories, such as a $175k rehab turning into $550k), and sometimes only way to survive and get through it is to have enough cash in your pocket.I know that when I say down payment ranges from 10-25%, most people will gravitate towards the lower end of that. 

Are there others like me who started out from scratch/a blank slate/nothing and have managed to get in, survive your first deal and achieved cash-flow success?

It’s when markets are falling that the people who prepared for the downside survive and those who only think about the upside don’t make it to the next bull market. 

We need to be out searching for sellers and walking through properties anyway, it makes complete sense to use our expertise to help buyers and sellers transact as well when you need to put food on the table to survive!