Stationed there almost three years, sold with profit and tax break for how long we lived in the house.

Possibly break loan covenants and can't cure default, lender takes back property.  

BEST DECISION I EVER DID WAS MAKE MY WIFE MY BUSINESS PARTNER THIS YEAR FELT LIKE NEW BEGINNINGS LEAVING A OLD PARTNERSHIP AND STARTING A NEW ONE LITTLE  DID WE KNOW THIS FLIP WOULD BE THE WORSE THING WE DID THIS YEAR TALK ABOUT A HOUSE THAT WOULDN'T STOP SPITTING OUT PROBLEMS FROM SQUATTERS BREAKING IN , FROM THE CITY CONSTANTLY GIVING VIOLATIONS, WE EVENTUALLY TOOK A LOSS OVER 50K OUCH!!  

These groups are goldmines for finding mentors, reliable vendors, and other investors to learn from.Property ManagementChoosing the right property management company can make or break your experience.

You'll likely need to be in a C/C+ neighborhood to find the 1% rule, but you can still break even or sometimes get some slight cash flow in the B neighborhoods of Columbus.

So, if you bought  a house for $300k and wanted to sell it 2 years later you would need to sell it for something like $600k to break even and cover that HUGE mortgage interest penalty.

Think about it: most of them are able-bodied adults who choose to live (mostly) free off the backs of others rather than contribute to society.Rent payments are usually steady, but Section 8 tenants took a lot more work upfront, throughout their tenancy and at the end of their tenancy.

To answer the OP question, I would be ecstatic in my market in class b or better area if I could purchase break even day1 on cash flow rent ready, or not rent ready where the value added is at least 2x the cost of the value add, at 80% LTV.  

Even if you break even, you will lose money every month it sits vacant, when you need repairs, property management, etc.

As a licensed contractor, I’ve seen how navigating these details can make or break a project.