Quote from @Sean Kirk: I'm seeing what seems to be 10%+ cap rates on roofstock.

Is it worth bringing in my contractor first to see how difficult it would be or should I call the gas and water companies first?

In my area these are rare so they are difficult to set market rent, and I imagine get a lot of wear and tear with a lot of occupants living there. 

With $50K and a DSCR loan, your budget will likely cap at properties in the $150K-$170K range, depending on the closing costs and any repairs needed.

The process has been difficult and stressful and we almost gave up a few times. 

Given these numbers and his research, he believes it may either cash flow slightly or at least break even, which has made it a bit more difficult to find an end buyer. 

Home price appreciation is still trending up, but cashflowing rentals are difficult to find for the most part.

They will tell you what areas want to buy and areas that are more difficult to rent. 

A few things we’ve been thinking about* Appreciation > Cash Flow: We care more about appreciation in a few years as long as cash-flow can cover occasional cap-ex.* Low Hands-on operation: We prefer minimal hands-on engagement.

Maintenance/cap ex, insurance, if a rental PM, bookkeeping, misc.The fact you have a loan means 1) leverage 2) equity pay down.In addition, there are tax benefits.So I will do some rough underwriting as an OO non-rental at 95% LTV (because FHA has some undesired consequences that make the 1.5% difference in LTV worth avoiding the FHA).equity paydown: 20% (using OP interest rate at 95% LTV and not counting closing costs).