Rentals boil down to how much do you net after paying principle, interest, taxes, insurance, and a maintenance reserve.  

Because all we have for credibility is his word and a Facebook page with zero likes on it.

The place I have is over 30 years old and a mansion ("mansion" in Japan means an apartment, not "mansion" like a huge house). 

If you’re strategic about locations, management, and financing, STRs can still offer decent returns in the right market.I totally agree that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in real estate right now, but if you’re strategic—especially with tax savings and a long-term focus—real estate can still be a viable option alongside other investments.I agree with everything you said but it’s also important to consider the Time component.

If I put all of my eggs in one basket (Florida in this case), paid off property and a hurricane blows everything away, FEMA is nowhere to be found and the insurance companies take years to pay what little claims they actually do pay, I suffer through it in a blown out house.

Choosing between a single-family home and a duplex is a classic real estate investor dilemma.

I asked him a lot of questions about the business and as soon as I got home I was doing research and joining RE forums focused on multi family.

Risk/reward was not something I was comfortable with after looking at numbers and a few things not grandfathered in if a tenant left. 

That makes a real difference.Initially we had one originator, one part-time processor, and a part-time admin assistant. 

I have 10 years of experience in retail real estate and a couple of partners who are interested in investing with me.