Which is very important, and hard to achieve with a person you just met (leads, open houses, Facebook groups) While you may work with 'strangers' from these groups in your career, typically you will work with folks you already have a relationship with.

The CAP rates aren't great, the vacancy rates are high, majority of multi-family locations are in areas with unreliable tenants.Overall, it just seems like it's difficult to achieve reliable passive income here. 

I have lived in Southwest Atlanta (Oakland City area) for the past 5 years, and I can tell you firsthand how the overall area is turning around and seeing much more interest today from both investors and homeowners. 

Looking forward to what we can achieve together.Warm regards,BelievenStephen

Consider your long-term goals and define what you want to achieve.

Furthermore, being flexible and adaptive in your real estate transactions may be achieved by creating a contingency plan for both scenarios.

Thanks Jay, it certainly helps to hear it first hand from another investor. 

I have around $15,000 in the bank which could afford a 3.5% down-payment, but closing costs and the first few months rent could be a stretch as my job hasn't started yet (The home would still be under construction so its possible I could achieve W2 income before actually paying a mortgage?).

Sounds like you're on your way to achieving your goals! 

Learning to go through the cash-out re-finance process first hand was also wonderful!