It isn't having paid off properties that offers security, there are still taxes, insurance, maintenance and management involved. 

Usebramble out of California seem promising but they are not servicing Washington yet.

This allows servicing $1.9 M at $7305.

.- They often get sold Class C or D properties while using Class A assumptions - then wonder why they are losing money.Here's some copy & paste info that you hopefully find helpful:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

It's highly customizable and integrates well with various tools, including phone and SMS services.

To be honest, I´m in the Maintenance & Construction for corporate businesses for some US companies in Mexico and we do some Real Estate down here also, but it´s way much different than the US, so I have much to learn from a lot of people around here and as @Julio Gonzalez, I think this is pretty much the right pad and place to start and to break my fears to start all over again from scratchAlso, I´ld like to hear more from @Justin Brickman why he voted for his city, pros and cons, it will help to read from a local...As I said before, thank you all guys for taking the time to write in this post and share some experienceDo you plan to owner occupy. $40k will not get you a non owner occupied San Diego property unless you find some unlikely alternate financing.

We had a wash & fold service with pickup & delivery, which added complexity to the operation.

If the property can service the debt at 90% leverage between a senior 1st and the seller second, you're looking at a good investment!

There is almost no scenario where a condo would ever positive cash flow while servicing debt, and very little positive cash flow with no debt.If your budget only allows for a condo, find a better place to put your money to work.   

Am I correct that a condo, depending on area and neighborhood, could be a lower risk/maintenance investment for an absentee landlord as opposed to other properties?