I think cash flow will be sparse; if not, I'd be interested as well in seeing what Jonathan Boyle has to say.Low absorption rates, lots of new construction projects, and an influx of young professionals moving up from Hoboken and NYC Thanks for the info Robert, but if you want to 'make money when you buy, not when you sell', and place an emphasis on cash flow, then three reasons you mentioned don't appear to apply.  

The fear of the unknown and fear of losing a lot of money can be debilitating so I have to get past that thus I am looking for a simple launching deal.

So if all hell broke loose, all I'm losing would be the original 20% + time + Headache + Uncalculated rehab cost, which is still somewhat a acceptable loss in my current stage in life.

Keep some liquid investments like stocks and bonds handy so when that day comes that the world falls off a cliff you don't lose your apartment complex.3 - Do not trust your property management company - there are good ones but you need to be their "overlord" so to speak - quarterly reviews of their numbers, regular meetings with them, etc.4 - Do not buy a complex based on magical projections of future rent increases - only buy it if it the numbers work as is.

I got a college degree from business with real estate emphasis.  

And we only do no recourse financing.I realize this is easy for me to say - for someone starting out in the game with not a lot of capital and nothing to lose then maybe aggressive leverage and syndication makes sense.Syndication could make sense even if you *do* have a lot of capital - but the idea of a locked in sale date just seems insane to me.

I have some capital to use, but i need guidance so i don't lose the money i saved up my entire life.

If you leverage too much and things go bad then you could lose everything!

I would also be Leary breaking even or losing money on this type of purchase.

If you're like me and you visit twice a year then you'll likely end up losing money.