It's not really going to appreciate without something drastic drawing folks to the area, but the plus side is, the values have been pretty steady and can be great for pure cashflow.

So, I'm purely trying to mitigate my risks and damages by trying to come up with the best solution to provide the best outcome. 

Consumables should be on the tenant, which includes light bulbs, batteries and filters.

, will you need guaranteed cash in return for management services or can you rely purely on an equity split to ocmpensate you in years in which the investment generates no cash (major capital expenditures, etc).  

If you can afford it and are open to it, living in one of the units does give you a big advantage as far as a low down payment with a 30-year good owner-occupied fixed rate.If you haven't already seen it, I'd recommend checking out the Bigger Pockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide as it may cover a lot of your questions.Basically, you're going to need to learn how to analyze the numbers on a rental property including income (estimating realistic rents based on what you see on the market for similar properties in the same area) and expenses (especially property tax and insurance).Even if you do owner-occupy I'd recommend analyzing it as if you weren't going to live there (as a pure rental investment) because that will give you a better idea of how the property would perform as an investment, and because someday you may want to move out and it would be good to know if the property will still be cash flow positive if that occurs.If you want to go the conventional route it will tie up more of your capital due to the large down payment, but your mortgage payment will be lower, so you'll have lower risk / more breathing room in that scenario - at the expense of having to wait longer to buy your next property.Also in the owner-occupied scenario you might be able to take advantage of "first time buyer" loan programs, which wouldn't be available to you on a second property if you go conventional on your first.If you're working with an agent to identify properties, usually that agent will be happy to connect you with a mortgage person who can explain some of the programs that might be available to you.

I do not have pure cash flow, but pays for most expenses keeping my part.

I do not have pure cash flow, but pays for most expenses keeping my part.

I do not have pure cash flow, but pays for most expenses keeping my part very minimal.

So I’ve been reading about all of the expenses I should be taking out of the rent I receive to determine my pure cash flow.

Nor how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.I am talking about the pure and simple mechanics of so-call cash-flow real estate investing.