If you're looking to build a rental portfolio, you're going to need to take on a lot of debt, unless you have an enormous nest egg to tap into.

@Jonathan Klemm has been working hard on Nest Egg for quite a while, and best of all it is free to land lords to use.

It's not so much that I don't have the capital, I just like the nest egg during these times especially. 

If there isn't a quick rebound in this sudden recession, then in a few months we'll see homes hitting the market, likely at discounts, especially in middle-to-lower class areas where jobless claims hit hardest, nest eggs are smallest, and "emergency funds" are nil to slim.

Sometimes critters get in the attic and they love to build nests next to a nice warm heater and then you have a fire. 

Alyssa, I would imagine being a Tenant posting on this thread would be much like going into a hornets nest but you are from the sounds of it.... an A class tenant and from what I gather from your post just a good and responsible person in general.

Right now, we're using the Ring or Nest Alarms with professional monitoring along with cameras so we're as safe as possible.

I'm just saying cash is the safe bet for now and could put you in the position to make some good moves in the future.If you're not risk averse and have plenty of time to rebuild your nest egg, there are several stocks that seem poised to profit and/or rebound right now. 

Last year I got a job and went from $0 in capital to currently sitting with a $20k nest egg.

I still have a little nest egg and I have another HELOC I can use to start the next house however, not sure what I should do at this point.