If you think you might get kicked out then housing security might be worth upping the payment. 

Depends who you ask and how secure you feel about your income On the one hand being debt free is great, but leverage allows us to build our wealth quicker.RE investors are notorious for being cash poor, so I would avoid thatIf youre able to comfortably save 100k a year and have enough reserves, I think buying leveraged properties is the best way to scale.You could kill two birds with one stone theoreticallyThey say paying an extra month a year towards principal saves you 7 years on a 30 year fixed mortgageUsing that logic you can add 2+ months a year on your primary, and buy 1 property a year and keep enough reserves. 

IMO I do not believe they properly screened my tenant, just placed a tenant so they wouldn't have to cover the mortgage until a proper tenant was secured.

Santarelli as an absolute industry expert (podcast, websites, press, social media advertisement) cause investors to have a false sense of security.

Flipping is probably a little more intense, but can still be done with a day job, but again, my average flip versus my average rental: flip has made much better returns.And as for generational wealth and handing down something to your kids... well, I guess I view it as: if I can hand my kids a $10mm trust fund held in public securities, or $10mm real estate portfolio, they are going to be pretty set either way, but a real estate portfolio will continually have costs and work, a brokerage account is a bit more set and forget, with some periodic rebalancing.

They made the bank think that Joe wouldhave to do the collections and secure the collateral.

The vast majority of lawsuits against landlords involve wrongful eviction, security deposit disputes, and Fair Housing Violations.

The key is to secure financing options before finding a property, ensuring you have enough funds to move quickly when a great deal arises. 

Be aware of state usury laws and consider collateralizing the loan for security.

If they don't you personal financial situation plays a bigger part in securing a loan.