Scott,  @Steve Vaughan is  one of my all time hero's on BP and someone I think gives the absolute best advice on a realistic methodology for attaining this mystic financial freedom from RE .

The government has essentially shoved the burden of homelessness on our shoulders, promising that we will get paid eventually, but they're not considering how costly, emotionally tolling, and time-consuming it will be when we have to sue for back-rent in civil court...all the while knowing that, realistically, we have little chance of getting anything back if the subtenants "can't pay" or are judgment proof. 

That encompasses realistically knowing what the market price of each unit is worth.Second: Stay in great neighborhoods.

If we take that fact for granted -- that, for example, the average tenancy is 6 years -- then that means that some tenants stay 1 year and others stay 10 years, but when you're running numbers for a property as such then the realistic scenario is that you won't have any vacancies or turnover costs for about 6 years.

making $150 net in month 1 because a spreadsheet said so is fantasy.here's a fantastic thread about 'cash flow' investing from California - i highly recommend it.https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/48/topics/1159104-overl...i say all this not to be discouraging but to be realistic - hope it helps

I am pulling the plug on working with Grocapitus. the financials were to rosy and not realistic.

And, with other strategies 50:1, 100:1, 10,000:1 is all realistic. 4th and final: Tax advantages left right and center in real estate.

Most invest in these smaller assets focusing on wrong criteria leading them to markets without meaningful appreciation and even when they do stumble across a market with strong fundamentals they do not understand  real estate finance and/or fail to exit these assets when they the appreciation event occurs wrongly focusing on rental cash flow.The ability to combine a high earning W2 with a sound investment thesis is a winning recipe but not realistic for most.

A more realistic question is will rates go down below 6%.

A few rentals along the way but realistic on returns 5 to 6% for solid A/B class is where we like to be.