On the other hand, if you invest $50,000 as a down payment on each of four properties, with a monthly mortgage payment of $1,000 on each property, you could potentially earn $500 per property or $2,000 monthly.

For example:Task             Estimate        % Certainty        Low        HighDemo              $5,000           90%                    $4,500    $5,500Construction   $10,000          80%                    $8,000    $12,000Plumbing         $8,000           75%                    $6,000    $10,000Finish Work    $10,000           90%                    $9,000    $11,000------------------------------------------------------------------------------TOTAL             $33,000                                    $27,500  $38,500So, if the estimate of $33k looks good and the high estimate of $38,500 is still "ok", I feel confident because its unlikely that EVERY item will be that far off.

If the underwriting goes smooth and I can have the cash on hand at closing, then maybe the owner wouldn’t care how the cash offer is funded. 

Where I buy, which I think has some of the best price to income ratios out there I recommend a minimum of $185k cash on hand (for the DIYer) and $220k-$235k cash on hand for someone looking for a hands off approach.

You want to know the total demand and the existing competition.  

it's just not something that gets you 'cash flow' for, probably, 5-10 years.on the other hand: house hacking is a great way to get started. 

If you decide to self manage and want help with other functions we can totally help out.We also buy and sell real estate (candor realty), have a repair and maintenance company (CMR Construction) (includes snow plowing, lead abatement and full fledged rehabs) If you need any of those support services please let us know.

Inherited tenants are usually a negative, however in that area leaving the duplex totally vacant makes it a target for thieves to come in and steal your pipes, furnace, and hot water tanks.

As someone who has only done out of state investing because the Seattle market didn't work with my goals I would say it is totally achievable and likely in less time than you are imagining.

Because I would rather earn less and be more hands off Baltimore city has A class areas and F class areas and everything in between.