The only real, dependable income comes from a property that is a lot of work (well performing short term rental), one that is paid off, or one that you have owned for a long time to see rent appreciation. 

But always remember that RE is a risky venture, and you could go through years of less than stellar performance.

Not sure why that happen, however the best way to screen a potential tenant is to see how they have performed in the past. 

Down payment should be about the same (20% on a buy-and-hold) but you'll see an additional $3-$6k on average in CC and the ability to keep it off of your DTI/Personal credit along with hopefully no more hard inquiries on your credit (many lenders will accept/perform a soft pull).

It reminds me of the Charles Schwab study - their best performing retail investment accounts were from dead people that never closed out the account.

I’ve invested relatively small amounts in “flyers”, and because the invested amount was small in relation to my overall portfolio chose not to perform a thorough due diligence.  

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – so, they often select the first PMC they call or that calls them back!

RTR advertises high returns as part of their marketing strategy, but the reality is that many of their properties do not perform as well as advertised.

Or are they performing some sort of arbitrage and they are not the end buyer.

Put together a spreadsheet and compare the performance of the subject property if you keep renting it as is for the next 10 or 20 years versus if you rehab and refinance.