I'm in a similar position.

As long as I’m in the positives.

I came here looking for productive and positive feedback, neither you nor your buddy has done that.

Positive cash flow that should reach the 1% rule in 5 years.

I've been in your position with a recent 2 family I purchased.

The professional money out there wants somewhere around 2pts and 10% and first position collateral.Banks on the other hand will give you 4.5%-5% money for first position collateral.Both of these lend up to fairly high LTVs, 80% or higher.I just mention these to set the window...Now think about it this way: If you have a family member or friend with $50k in the bank, how much interest are they earning?

Has anyone else had positive reviews here? 

That 2% rule would be a good rule to live by if you want to see positive cash flow.Then you have to go find a market you may not be familiar with and immerse your self in that location and get comfortable with the people you are going to work with.Two big takeaways I learned at my local real estate meetups are:1 - Nobody cares as much about your Sh** as much as you do.2 - Next!

I can get $5-M $10M at any time.1 find a good location with a path of progress2 figure out how to get the down payment of 20 -30 % -  (this is the hard part)3 Make sure the property has a POSITIVE cashflow and the rents are based off actual rents and the expenses are real. 

It will have positive cashflow and is not a bad investment.