(Especially a 2-4 unit.)Do they have friends/relatives/co-workers that would rent rooms from them if they bought a property to show more income?

I can do this as I manage over 60 units and it makes the most sense, and I beat the market every month.If I had 1-5 units, I would like use PriceLabs (or Beyond Pricing) and use their base tech as well as manually checking things at minimum weekly.

Thar's gold in them ther' hills", if you know HOW & WHERE to look.We've got all of Detroit's 183+ Neighborhoods mapped on our website - which can help.DM us for more info...

On property number one, I would cash flow $750 a month after mortgage, taxes, and insurance if I also rent out the unit I live in.

One thing that I’m seeing it that large multi unit buildings beyond the 800k mark are all on a boiler and paying to heat the entire building ruins the numbers.

@Colin Ford recommend getting experience with your RI duplex before going OOS.You should DIY manage the unit next door, so you LEARN about property management, the goog, the bad and the ugly.Then you'll be so much better prepared to invest OOS!

She has a ton of units in Des Moines and still lives in the area so may be able to give you some advice on what might work there and what won't.

Trying to balance proper due diligence against my desire to just acquire a bunch of mediocre units!  

I've invested in both multi-unit properties (2-4 units), and multi-family properties (5+ units).

There is a flaw in the business model and thier internal processes need a lot of work.First the good,Yes, I got paid every month.Nomad found me good renters.Next the badDue to needing to make the guaranteed rent they rented my unit below market valueIn communicating with Nomad they were disorganized, often sending conflicting messages and not alignedNomad offered to find me a repair company, that compnany charged $400 for a $25 dollar part and I was stuck with Nomad saying "not their problem" and the vendor saying Nomad was the client not me.Nomad was horrible to my renters as their property management term ended.