Economics matter: Market trends and supply and demand. 

A supply and demand imbalance drives rents and prices higher.

There could be a "double whammy", a recession (which we seem overdue for) then a drop in interest rates which leads to a big influx of new housing supply. 

I guess my challenge right now is to define the strategy and balance all the factors, such as job and population growth (value increase), cashflow (demand & supply market, interest rate, property tax, maintenance cost), and risk control (insurance etc). 

If you do outsource, some management companies will cover various things like cleaning, supplies, etc. so look into that as well. 

Do you think supply with surpass demand?

https://www.har.com/content/department/mlsHouston Real Estate Highlights in November, 2024:-Single-family home sales increased 6.0 percent year-over-year;-Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes went from 48 to 52 days;-Total property sales were up 3.3 percent with 7,750 units sold;-Total dollar volume rose 11.1 percent to $3.1 billion;-The single-family median price was up 1.5 percent to $329,900;-The single-family average price climbed 4.1 percent to $418,903; -Single-family home months of inventory registered a 4.4-months supply, up from 3.5 months last November.

Here’s how it works:Population Decline or Stagnation: If the population is static or shrinking, the current housing supply meets demand, and property prices decline (in inflation-adjusted dollars).

That’s what people loved about the great relief (closer) pitcher Tug McGrawWhen asked on a TV interview if he preferred grass or astroturf, he stated “I don’t know, I never smoked astroturf”.  

Basically, the demand is much weaker than the supply.