Hello @Chris Atkins,To achieve and maintain financial independence, only invest in cities that meet the following requirements.Significant and Sustained Population Growth: Rental rates follow the basic principle of supply and demand.

Find one that has strong, sustained  population and job growth. 

If you have an RC Wiley or similar mid/high end furniture/appliance/home furnishings/flooring shop.

So the assumption of $1k per month isn't far ofIt is far off if doing an estimate of sustained expenses.   6 units at $1200 is $200 unit/month.  

If this was your current situation (paid off house in my location) and had less than stellar credit, what would you strategy be to scale quickly but sustainably? 

But then, something incredible happened—his business started thriving.With fewer daily distractions, Michael had time to find new investment deals, build relationships with private lenders, and even take a vacation.His portfolio doubled in size within two years.And for the first time in a decade, he wasn’t stressed.The Lesson: Let Go to GrowMichael realized the secret of successful investors: You don’t build wealth by working harder—you build wealth by working smarter.By letting go, he gained more than just free time—he gained a scalable, sustainable business that could grow without burning him out.Are You Like Michael?

My team does work with OOS investors, but we have learned how to coach clients to have sustained success and not just one deal.

Ensuring your rental market can sustain these costs will help maintain profitability over time.The 7% DSCR loan is relatively high, and refinancing later at a lower rate could improve your long-term cash flow.

I want enough money coming in so the business can sustain itself when issues occur with maintenance or vacancy.If you wanted to do this with only 20% down ($46,000), which is all you need for a conventional loan, here is how the calculations change.Total mortgage + escrow $1,493.33 per month with cashflow reduced to $306.67 per month.I prefer to overestimate purchase price, interest rates, and homeowners’ insurance to be conservative.

I have many times jumped in the dumpster to get large boxes or furniture out to break it down.