@Brett Coultas if you're a newbie, you want to be careful of an "investor friendly" agent selling you something they truly don't understand:(95+% of agents only know how to handle owner-occupied transactions - you can verify this by asking them calculate ROI for you or Cash-On-Cash!

But if your goal is to leave your day job soon, multi family will offer more cash flow typically.

Purchase price: $375,000 Cash invested: $87,000 STR What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

I took no money from the cash flow (when there was any) and I never made a late payment to the bank.This fall, nearly 12 years after the bank gave me that house, and over 15 years after I knocked on that door - after evictions, vacancies, insurance claims, and never taking a dime out of it - I sold that house and placed all of the proceeds in a 1031 exchange.

@Jonathan Blanco, I'm and investor and a licensed mortgage broker so I've been on both sides of this conversation.I would look for a lender that (1) listens to you and understands your strategy and needs (hint: it's not always money), (2) has experience working with clients executing your strategy and brings more to the table than just cash - be it advice, relationships, deal-team partners, etc., (3) gives you viable options and explains the pros and cons of each option and (4) you enjoy interacting with - this should be a relationship, not a transaction.Once you find a few lenders like this (and you should have relationships with more than one), then you can start comparing rates and fees.

Purchase price: $145,000 Cash invested: $60,000 Finding a move-in-ready home that offers modern upgrades and country charm can be challenging—but this fully renovated 4-5 bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch is the perfect solution.

Property values continue to grow in value, and you can actually live off the rental income.I think it's best to hav all properties paid off by retirement age, since that's when you are going to rely on cash flow for your living expenses.

I wish someone had told me about this when I bought my first place.I run a Property Management company and would only recommend a property mgr if you are cash positive or physically cannot tend to the property.  

One of the larger ex-pat directed real estate investment communities here in Japan targets all-cash buyers. 

We are thinking about furnishing one of the Racine duplexes and listing it as a MTR to maximize our investment and get a higher cash flow.