A lot of people are giving you advice without enough context as to what you would like to do other than get a higher than 3% cash on cash return and other than only putting down 20% - 30% as a down payment.Something that is important to know to give proper suggestions is what you want the investment to do for you and how active you want to be in the investment.In general, the more active you are, the higher your return, the less active you are, the lower the return because you pay for others to do that work for you.

Since you're still living in the property, you might be able to house hack and keep the lower owner-occupied tax rate—worth confirming with a local tax advisor.

Smart thermostats, in particular, can help you monitor energy use and lower costs between stays.I hope everyone’s experiences and perspectives help guide you as you start this journey!

With $50k, you likely have enough to get started, especially if you target lower-cost markets or use a strategy like house hacking.

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

Just google the following: - special assessment - zombie condos - Florida condos (look for recent news)Since you are not living near the properties anyways, why not look in a landlord friendly state where the purchase prices are lower?

These platforms typically have billing policies where you pay a per unit fee per month to the software and you get regular updates and support each month.There are a number of low-cost platforms available that are able to offer you a lower price by passing along some of the costs to your tenants (payment processing fees, applications, tenant screening, etc).

that we’ve learned in our 24 years, managing almost 700 doors across the Metro Detroit area, including almost 100 S8 leases:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+ (roughly 5% probability of default), zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680 (around 10% probability of default), some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

As you know, marketing and price are both very important, and vacancy will significantly impact your income, so you are almost always better off charging a lower price and getting it filled with a good tenant.  

Just like bonds & stocks, different properties will have higher & lower risks.