This next year brings about many new struggles but also many new horizons.

There are encouraging signs of growth on the horizon.  

As mentioned before it would depend on your time and cash horizon.

So, contrary to what many people say, real estate does not always go up over time, unless you have an unlimited time horizon.

There’s going to be a lot of pain on the horizon.

It's like building a strong foundation for your financial future.On the other hand, if you have a longer investment horizon and are comfortable with potential fluctuations in income, growth-oriented investments may be your preference.

And even in those markets where you should be able to factor it in, you can't assume that historical data will repeat itself over a narrow time horizon. 

I will add that if you have a longer time horizon, you can repeat that 2 part process with each cycle and build a more fortified high performing portfolio that is not tethered by the bank.

If you are planning to hold your rentals over a long time horizon (which it sounds like you are), then I wouldn't worry too much about the 3/2 vs 3/1.  

Idk, but if we go back and review the original goal then if any of the above is a reason to stay in that particular asset class then it might be time to reconsider the income goal (or at least it's time horizon) or instead consider expanding the investment horizon to include buying real estate assets that consistently pay a much greater cash flow return and enjoy equal or greater rates of appreciation.Incorporating the latter into your investment universe could substantially reduce the amount of time required to hit your desired income goals.