.- get into real estate with a lower rate and lesser percentage down payment.

Could do I a lot less to get lower rents (for example an upgrade may be $10-$15k where a bare minimum repairs and cleaning may only be $1-2k).

Just because Zillow estimates a lower value, doesn't mean people will offer lower than the list price.Also, be careful about the laws with the association and renters.

NOTE: A lower OER indicates a more profitable property as a larger portion of the income is retained after covering operating costs.Hope that helps!

Hello BP Community,As is very common I have friends who purchase their rental houses under their own name in order to get lower interest rate loans with better terms and also cheaper landlord insurance, and then they transfer the title into their LLC after closing. 

Most mls listings have under market rents in that area too but would need run comps in exact area, it will likely be a bit lower then west of highway Avondale map area.

. -- you can buy lower quality and it won't matter. 

Discussion in the lower $600's.I've managed to convince her to get into real estate.

One thing I did note is my insurance is $3K a year lower due to the monitored fire suppression system in these larger properties versus my smaller properties that sleep 12 or less built close to the same time.As someone who has lived in Illinois twice, the politicians there don't care if people burn as long as they can tax and spend. 

As for a downward shift you can always lower your rate (underwrite a worst, middle and best case scenario), Make sure your rental stands out from the crowd (easy to do in Hawaii since most owners don't reinvest in their property).