Create the payment that’s very low in comparison to what your keeper would bring in rent.  

If you are going to be an owner-occupant, want a low down payment, and are planning to do a renovation, the FHA 203k and Fannie May Homestyle loans are your best optionsHow do you know the property is currently upside down on the mortgage? 

Cost per lead (CPL) is crucial—it shows how much you're paying to get a potential seller or buyer’s info, and you want this as low as possible without sacrificing quality.

Make sure you buy it low enough to make it worth the trouble.

And like many other cities, vacancy rates are still low, lots of demand for housing of all types.  

We also live in a reasonably low cost of living area compared to the rest of the nation where the home prices we are looking at for rentals are between $200K and $250K. 

Hard to give up such a low mortgage rate, but in the end that's small potatoes compared to potential OOS problems.  

Everybody thinks they can paint because they can - you get a brush or a roller, a can of paint at Lowe's and away you go.

I don’t want the property to appraise low and not have enough money to get when I cash out.

When rent is too low it speeds up the leasing.