The biggest hurdle you'll have to overcome is accepting breakeven or negative cash flow at the start. 

This creates a negative initial position.

I am okay with limited cashflow while I'm in my prime W2 working years but not negative. 

These markets seem like on average, negative cashflow. 

Both cities get so much negativity, you can even see it on here, so I'm happy anytime either city has some success.  

Instead, they faced stagnant rents and rising expenses, leading to negative cash flow.### The House Hack I Wish I Had TriedIf I could do it all over again, I would have started with house hacking.

"Positive" or "Negative" impacts are relative.

Breaking news: events in and out of our control will affect real estate both positively and negatively.

Just remember: most negative reviews are written by problematic tenants.

Verifying last 2-years of rental history and income/employment extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.Tenant Default: 20-30% probability of eviction or early lease termination.Section 8: Class D rents meet program requirements, often challenges to pass Section 8 inspection.Vacancies: 20%+, depending on market conditions and tenant screening.Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciation.Where did we get our FICO credit score information from?