I used to own three rentals in Seattle but after 2012 when the prices got too high I realized that sophisticated buy-and-hold investors invest where the numbers make sense with cash flow, not appreciation (gambling).

But knowing what you are doing should be a part of investing anywhere -otherwise it is gambling and not investing. 

Fun fact; fire departments call eichlers a "box of matches" lol.One of my favorite value adds are blowing out common walls on old VA homes in the South Bay. 1100 sq ft 4 bds.

**This is my favorite** Buy the rental with seller financing, private money loan, or commercial loan in an LLC.

The longer you hold onto it, the more your costs add up, the more costs you have to recover, and the fewer funds you have available to use to recover them with.Think of it like playing Poker (not because it's gambling...REI shouldn't be gambling). 

Check out my personal favorite, Set For Life by Scott Trench , or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.3.

My favorite part is having a dedicated contact person that walks you through the entire platform and helps you get set up.

I know without down payment and not having my Va loan this time around again I don’t have much in my favor . It’s

Although I did it and it worked out (they actually ended up being one of my favorite tenants), I was taking a risk. 

What are your favorite resources?