I'm not going to bet on appreciation, but that doesn't mean that I want to cut myself off from it's possibility of happening.

I'd say it has C or D tenants.

However, many of the buy and hold deals I'm seeing investors do this year look like pure speculation to me, where there the deal is nothing more than a bet on the continued upward trajectory of the Austin market.

Unfortunately there is a lot of disinvestment in that area and similar properties can be had for $25,000 or less but they are in C- or D neighborhoods.  

:Expense, Income, and Appreciation Rates = 1% (I prefer to not bet on any of these.

The deal is as follows: Eightplex in Hickory NCAsking price $210,000 (trying to get it down to 150-170k, but am using 210k for the numbers) Gross rents: $2,900/month or $34,800/year (Between $330-400 a door) Tenants pay all utilitiesI am requesting a 1040 schedule E and the T12's from the seller, but for now am forced to use the 50% rule. using that, operating expenses are $17,400 NOI: $17,400Cap: 8.28 Debt Service: $8,700Equity Dividend rate: 16.5% The area isn't great or terrible, probably a C or C+ area.

If it is a trade you seek as opposed to a g/c or handy man, reach out to local custom homebuilders, the guys doing a few houses a year,  in general they like to promote the people who do good jobs for them.

I am not a fan of window units of either kind, a/c or swamp cooler. 

I've located a number of properties (I'm new w/ no offers) that are in lower income neighborhoods...a number of which are F&C or very little is owed.  

Starting out on the multifamily side, I suggest that you have a look at C or lower B class properties (workforce housing).