Best to call city hall for the town you are buying in to see what if any rent control rules are in place. see link below if you require additional information and call the Jersey City Landlord Tenant relations office. https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/cityhall/HousingAndDevelopment/...Jersey City CPI chart on recommended rent increases: https://cdnsm5-hosted.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server...The state with the highest eviction rate in the country right now is South Carolina. 

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are an increasingly popular way to generate additional rental income on an existing property.

An example of that is tenant must pay for additional electric over flat fee / flat limit since now there is 2 occupants in the home instead of originally one.

Helps you stand apart from similar 4 bedroom homes and if you choose to pursue a rent by the room strategy in can create additional cash flow.

Additionally, have a clear budget, factoring in potential repair costs, and ensure you understand the rules about earnest money deposits and closing deadlines.LLC for Real Estate Investing: Forming an LLC for rental properties can offer liability protection and may provide tax advantages, though the tax benefits are non-existence for rentals.

Perhaps you could consider hard money in addition to private money?

Here are a few additional strategies that might help mitigate risk if you decide to rent the property:Hire a Strong Property Management Company: While you’ve already spoken with some PMs, consider finding one with extensive experience managing single-family rentals in Cook County specifically.

Additionally, working in a small-town market taught us how to effectively price properties for faster sales without compromising profit.

@Kenzer Hodgson For your STR, an umbrella policy can provide liability coverage, but an LLC offers additional asset protection by separating your personal and business assets, which can be valuable in case of lawsuits or audits.

Quote from @Drew Sygit:My apologies w/my earlier post (below), I was on my phone and not laptop so it wasn't tagging.I will if I may add some additional thoughts...1) The appraisals I've seen in these markets are no where near Zillow estimates.