My opinion for what it's worth, Account Closed, is that it's much harder to find a deal now and make the numbers work.I believe there is more "investors" or at least people attempting to invest than ever before - combine that with our current situation of higher than what "most of us" are used to and low inventory = 10X harder to find good deals - in my opinion.Wholesaling being easy is a myth...I know so many people here in Chicago who talk about it, but the number of people doing it at any scale for a length of time is nearly zero....the one guy I know who's been at it longer than most here in Chicago is @Zach Shepard and he's a silent snipper!

. - Two single family homes in a community reinvestment act, therefore only require 3% down, get 1% of rate, and receive $6,000 towards closing costs.In order to receive these extremely low down payments, i would have to technically live in the residence for a few months as they do not offer these for investment properties. 

In general rental rates are strong and property taxes tend to be very low.

The basic fees on a loan make up too high a percentage on low priced loans which classifies them as predatory.

Search a radius and determine what the low/med/high properties are making by bedroom count.3) make note of what the top 5 properties have in common.

Cash out refi does not make a whole lot of sense since I'm in at the low 3's. has anyone used a HEL or HEI loan to finance a property?

The likelihood that your pension is there at the level you're expecting and when you're expecting is statistically pretty low so don't let that be the thing that holds you in a job you don't like.

There are clear affluent areas and forgotten areas of Janesville, but I will always stand by my opinion of tenant screening being the best defense of your rental property value.The Northeast side is, by popular opinion, one of the best areas to be in for newer duplexes and larger lots (for more money, of course) - take a drive down the side streets off of Wright to get an idea.The homes here are at a premium price, and rents are higher, but we've found the ROI is too low to start out in that area. 

Anything low income I would suggest that you hire a PM.

Focus on areas with low vacancy rates, strong rental appreciation and economic growth (check to see if businesses are coming or leaving and what unemployment looks like). during this phase you should decide what tenant profile you are going to target section 8 (or similar)?