Had a great deal for a buy-and-hold SFR get destroyed and not pay for months which went from 5 digits in the black to break-even/in the red.

I see promises for double digit buy and hold investment returns all the time, and they are few and far between in decent areas of town. 

You also need a good, strong reliable Property Manager to handle the tenant pool in this category.You can upgrade to B- and/or B areas but the property taxes kill the cash flow and double digit returns however you will get more stability and modest appreciation.

You may be able to cashflow in the mid-single digits.

I currently invest out of the state I live in as well, because I can find double digit returns.

Marketing, PR, Digital Agencies operate pretty similarly (in my opinion).

you somehow figured out the market you are in is just on up and up ( first 6 months to a year of explosion) and you absolutely sure its only going to go up ( but stay away from turnkey companies, agents that use words like "cash flow cow" and  "guaranteed ROI in double digits"  because no one can guarantee you anything in this life... 

@Peter Ledger most HM lenders will be asking for 20% down instead of 10% now especially if you still want to be in the single digit interest rate and sub 3 points. 

When I work with banks on a short sale, they need a POF statement, but they don't  need a full account number...just the last 4 digits.  

I am employed full time in software sales, and my wife is full time employed in Digital Marketing.