Oakland , Berkeley and San Francisco  are notorious for their strict rent control.

I was one of those people that had a pulse and they gave me a home for a notorious mortgage that split into an 80/20.

@Ronald Julien Rhode Island Housing is notoriously difficult to work with.

Also, Boomers are notoriously fond of their "stuff", so self-storage facilities should continue to do well.Bolster your portfolio with those assets.

CoC returns are notoriously low in Houston and TX for that matter due to the high property taxes and insurance rates there.

Tenants in Chi are notorious for using the law against their landlord to stay in their apartment without paying for any reason and can end up staying for sometimes up to a year without paying.

With all that, no a person will not get anywhere near same results by just posting on Zillow or (and I can't believe anyone suggested this) Craig's List which by the way is notoriously the absolute worst place to find a tenant hands down. 

It is one of the key elements of adverse possession (open and notorious in nature).

Also, using MLS listings which are notorious for being expensive, so really did not expect a deal. 

Oh that's the notorious "do not invest zone" - sorry this happened to you!