So, your focus may need to pivot from high rental cash flow to little to no cash flow as a rental with an appreciation upside.I would recommend taking your $150K to $200K and securing a solid equity position in something that will cover its expenses and maybe provide a small cash flow, but then is poised to appreciate nicely over the course of the next several years. 

I’d be happy to connect and share ideas on building a solid plan, like assembling your CORE 4 (agent, lender, property manager, contractor) to help streamline your journey.

Having it solid in a spreadsheet instead of in your head or on notebook paper and playing with the numbers for the repair budget isn't wrong.

say you find a solid property in a low cost market for $200K and you buy it.between down payment, closing costs, rent ready / spruce up costs, and lease-up costs, you're probably going to need at least 50-65K in cash. 

You nailed it—it really is a solid business model, all designed to maximize profit (which, to be fair, I respect from a business standpoint).

I've been setting up deals but i think they look solid.

Thats a solid deal!

Or is Grocapitus really is that solid that people just have that much faith.  

It can also help cover HELOC payments if you find a property with solid equity potential.

Most on-market deals will likely not fit your investment criteria unless you allocate a substantial downpayment, often at least 30%-35%, or negotiate a price reduction that fits your requirements.Furthermore, while this is not the case for all metro ATL markets, my team and I typically see that a solid portion of the small multifamily space is comprised/orientated in neighborhoods of other small multifamily properties.