You need to have an expert work with you in your chosen market.

Not realizing that while these people may not have "Chosen" to be poor, they did look at all their housing options and decided the dump, for $300, was either a) all they could afford or b) they didn't want to spend more for something nicer for their own reasons.    

If you were in their shoes, wouldn't you wish you'd have chosen a floating rate loan and saved $2 million? 

Everyone thinks of the landlords as these rich a$$holes, but have you ever thought-- they care, and are using their resources to better not only themselves, but their chosen  investment area/community?

Also getting practice analyzing properties in your chosen market is priceless experience as well.

It comes from having purpose and faith in your chosen path.

You have freely chosen to be where you are. 

My chosen market differentiator.  

If I'm working 50 hours per week I don't get to play with my kids, see my wife, or contribute to others like I could if I didn't have to work those hours.Something no one has touched on, though, is that if you're relying on your $40k or $100k or $X in passive income for your chosen lifestyle you should probably work to get at least 1.5 or 2.0 times that much. 

I guess you could say all of them could be the best investment depending on many variables, market conditions and effort, starting capital, paths chosen within each investment vehicle, but if i had a gun to my head and had to choose, i would say that real GUTS and perseverance and belief in ones self would trump a college education any day.