Obviously I plan to have someone in the property much sooner than a year but it's nice to have that little cushion to help avoid some risk.So after saying all this I wanted to see what you all think about this. 

I'd suggest keeping 20-30% equity so your cash flow is improved and you have a cushion should the market shift.

We will see another buyer's market someday.Until then, I'm looking for buy-hold properties that have value-add opportunities to provide some cushion if we see prices depress in the next 1-5 years.  

Always build in a cushion to your numbers because there is always things that come up during rehab that are not expected or accounted for in the initial budget. 

Once you have that 5-10k cushion you can take more cash flow yourself of reinvest it into the business.

Do you have a cushion of safety in your experience? 

I was against it too when we first started out 32 years ago and now it provides a great cushion for any lean months)

Your best bet is to pay down the NC property using the rent and your income to create some cushion of equity.

Suddenly I had enough money to pay my bills, with a cushion to spare, and—at the urging of my sister, who had been interested in real estate for a while—I came up with the audacious plan to buy my condo from my dad.I had been a homemaker for many years before becoming a professional author, and had relied on my husband to take care of all financial aspects of our marriage.

This gives me a good base.Do you usually add some cushion to your numbers?