I'm interested in something similar but have been having a hard time getting the numbers to flush out. 

However, I do have a cosigner flush with cash, like at least 10-20 times the purchase price, who is willing to cosign the loan.

Like you said its a disaster when it happens to a tenant and cost 3 times as much to do it after the fact.we felt this one aspect was one of the largest maintenance issues with owning these homes and much of the time you will never know there is a problem until the unit gets occupied.. during home inspection you flush the toilet a few times and it works... once tenant gets in and it gets used daily and a lot well you know 

Very tough from what I've found....so hopefully someone here will flush out some good resources.   

Their not going to flush these properties on the market, they know it will never be a demand for home-ownership as it once was. 

They ended up asking for an extension on rent for one week, I never got another penny from them and they flushed t-shirts down the toilet causing a big repair bill.

Anyone hear of InvestiGroup Inc. out of Hillside, NJ and Flushing, NY?

They Flush Baby Wipes Down The Drain Causing Plumbing Expenses..

As suggested, I'll flush out the numbers for doing both.

. - I.e. a 2-family in parts of Northern Queens (E.Elmhurst, Flushing, Jackson Heights) can go for $1.2M and the total rental income for both units would be $5,000/month while a 2-family in parts of Southern Queens (Jamaica, Woohaven, Ozone Pk) selling for $700K can rent for $4,000/month.That being said, every deal is different, every investor's situation and goals are different.It would take some more digging to really figure out the best route for you to take.Best of luck to you moving forward!