I had no choice but to go along or not sell our house, because EVERYBODY was doing it.The Greeks in Greece never thought the bottom would fall out of a rotten society.

For instance, if you live in an urban core with a high walkscore, you will probably see a good return on investment because the new space will be in high demand to rent and purchase.

4 plex AlabamaCash flow, tax benefit, maintenance fee, property manager fee (unless you want all 4 vacant DIY).Have realtor shoot film, video, check local unemployment stats, major employers, income, crimes etc.4 plex must be in urban not rural.

The mid-priced homes are rented by the backbone of society.

Don't buy in the roughest neighborhood in the urban core.

There are small private law offices in urban areas of Los Angeles whose primary source of income is taking 40% of the cut on 'cash for keys'  money from tenants who don't pay their rent.

However, in the urban core, there are pockets of “ok” blocks or streets, I could definitely tell a difference as I drove through.  

Not everybody wants to live in highly urban environment where most of these units are,   and a lot of people who are living in those units already are doing so because they moved to the area recently for a job,   and/or could not find anything else close in.   

We typically rent to urban professionals for above market rental rates. 

Be aware of the market & society in general before you invest.