I did one house I may end up taking a small loss on, we'll see.

They bought their house near Lucca, Italy.  

Is your house in an area that is appreciating, easy to get good tenants? 

The house was vacant for 5 years with a new roof (5 years ago). 

Keep in mind if you are house-hacking, you will only be able to write off a percentage of the bills.

Quote from @Richard Bautista: Good evening,Just saw Cleveland, Ohio has relatively inexpensive houses which has the potential to cashflow.

There is no such absolute rule or mandate for REI - it is up to you on your comfort level with your cash flow versus total investment versus appreciation potential.If I followed that rule, I would have missed out on a LOT of great opportunities over the years.We bought a house in Jones Valley in 2017 with negative cash flow - why? 

This creates a market for both short-term and long-term rental properties.Affordable housing, Compared to cities like New York, Washington D.C., or Boston, Philadelphia offers relatively affordable rent, or section 8 tenants, especially those who are relocating from more expensive areas. 

So, they could potentially buy another house later on.

The house was flooded to the tune of $70,000 in repairs.