And yes, I was gathering the same consensus as well for targeting strong markets to invest in.

I've been using ListSource to create a direct mail/cold calling list but for some reason when I try to target homes with a specific number of bedrooms it gives me zero results...

On residential MF (4 units and less) purchased from MLS you can achieve just a bit better than 0.5% ratio.  

I would think about maybe house hacking where you rent out a part of your home who will then pay part of your mortgage, this will help you save much more money and help you achieve your goal. 

Any insights, advice, or suggestions on how we can achieve our investment goals while safeguarding our assets would be greatly appreciated.

Hi William, What price point are you targeting for this purchase. 

But if you have a $100,000 downpayment range you could split it up 2-3 ways with a 20-30k downpayment three ways.In primary markets like Orange County, where achieving a Rent-to-Value Ratio of over 1% becomes challenging, looking out of state is the answer.

Here’s our OPINION for the Metro Detroit market (use as a template for your target area!)

My ultimate goal is to make profitable deals and achieve financial success through strategic investments.

My emotions/personality is showing on my target price.