If you look at PASSIVE single-family investing, i.e. pick a random, well-maintained property at fair market value (and yes, obviously there will be large regional variations - I'm talking averages), you're probably going to need at least a 40% down payment to just not have negative cash flow.

Unless you are really intent on spending your time taking random dead end phone calls full of stupid questions, I'd make your ad as informative as possible.I include all pertinent information in my rental ads.

Now these are just random numbers given.

Plus, I listen often to Chicago radio because we get it here in Milwaukee nice and clear and I've heard a lot these last two years or so about random crime moving into areas it never was before, like on the Magnificent Mile and the Gold Coast.

I've had to fix 2 toilets, multiple sinks, microwave, door hardware, stove burner ring replacements, window AC units, and random other crap.When this stuff happens, it's often late at night (when tenants are home the most to wear crap out) or during the weekends (again, when tenants are home the most using these things).

Some part of my brain randomly reached back to middle school when a song about someone that was a "baller, a shot-caller" came out on the radio, and then my brain inserted that into my BP post in 2016. :)

You should be paying an attorney for this advice, not getting it from random people on the internet.

for example, I've seen several "How to analyze deals" webinars and posts and when it comes to this portion it seems like a random number is assumed for repairs.obviously once you get the property under contract you can have it inspected and get quotes from contractors, etc and so forth, but what about ahead of time?

I have seen them pick properties that were worth more and then take random deductions for "site" considerations.

Just a random guess.