And there is a constant mention of Guaranteed returns there is no Guarantee unless its the federal govmit on 250k or less FDIC insured .. this was simply investor greed.. investors did not understand what they were investing in what the risks were and were blinded by the returns offered.. no one put a gun to their head.. investor make bad investments all the time..  

"They are probably in sketch locations"- If by "Sketch" you mean anywhere in the inner city you would be right, however if being in the inner city alone doesn't qualify as sketchy then there are plenty of Section 8 rentals in low crime and very stable neighborhoods. 

Insurance costs have been crushing cashflow on a lot of rentals as well - I've seen HOI quotes on $200k-300k houses come in as much as $200.00/month over expectations.

Once you have a property under your belt and it's stable, do it again.

 @Jake Baker Love that strategy by being to attract tenants with affordability and getting the stable monthly cash flow compared to weekly rentals which may have a higher profit but a much higher risk making them not really viable in today's market. 

When vetting contractors, check if they’re licensed and insured, ask for at least 3 references and call them, and get detailed written estimates and timelines.

They finds projects that offer solid, stable and steady returns, and they put the right people in place to run each project.

Do they have insurance and property tax reduction reports in their study?

(You know you’re on the right track and you insure future leases end between March and July by varying the length of the new lease.)Good luck. 

I’m told taxes and insurance is lot and will rise each year and cash flow is hard to come by.