Just remember, you have to know "why" you have these policies so you can know "when" to deviate from them.For example, requiring 3x the rent is pretty safe.

Mutual Funds are not safe.

you make it sound like SFH is the only thing that's at risk, what do you invest in that you think is "safe"?

My wife and I found a SFH in Tacoma that is big enough that we could easily and safely hack it four ways while also living in it. 

Obviously, these people still deserve safe housing, just like everyone else, but from an investment perspective, they are a higher risk pool.

My metric is that if my wife would not feel safe walking down the street at night, then we do not invest in that area. 

I’m 37 and I still look back at the way it was when they first started building when I was a kid....man times change.Anyways, if you are looking for a safe rental, look inward towards Baltimore.  

I hope you're all safe and out of harms way!  

Now, the property isn't all that expensive, and if you are prepared to break even, or take a small loss, in order to learn from the experience, seems like this would be a relatively safe way to do it.

Of course, property values dropped in 2008 like they never did before so there are always exceptions.If you talk to the investors with decades of experience, they'll tell you that the blue-collar rentals are usually safe.