In reality my cash flow is poor (especially compared to the value) because I cash out and have cashed out a lot of money.As indicated cash flow improves quickly.  

Compare that to the national average, which currently stands at 0.99%.

Not a good experience at all.If you want others to compare, check out Baseline and The Mortgage Automator.

Compared to short-term, long term is easy. 

The cost of living is extremely low compared to other cities and you can still many many positive cash flowing and 1% deals here.

How much was your assignment fee compared to what an agent would have charged the seller?  

Market Supply in 2024 remains high compared to the previous years, despite decent sales numbers, which can indicate a fluctuating amount of buyer activity.

Louis, and Cleveland, are known for their affordability and relatively low property prices compared to coastal cities.

So...My pet peeve is comparing a single rental property with either index funds and/or a HYSA... 

Property taxes and insurance are typically the two biggest recurring costs.Below is an overhead cost comparison of three states with no state income tax.Sources for insurance and property taxes: Insurance - ValuePenguin, State Property Tax Rates - Rocket Mortgage.To demonstrate the impact of taxes and insurance on net income, I compared the overhead costs of a $400,000 property in these three states.