If you did not, and started later, the likelihood of enjoying that $500K lifestyle in great health is less likely.That same example, deploying immediately into an area with lesser quality (lesser capital required), and you can likely 3X to 20X the end result after a decade, or two, or three.

Netting positive cash flow right off of the bat, after debt service and other costs is solid if you have a healthy financing structure. 

The property prices are more reasonable compared to many other markets, and there seems to be a healthy demand for rental properties.

someone selling an investment should be able to handle a bit of healthy skepticism of their model if they are trying to sell others on the model for their own gain.  

Rentals create cash flow, and that's what we want as real estate investors, but you need cash on hand for unforeseen circumstances.The AC needs to be replaced, that's $7K to $10K or more depending on the size of the house and if you have one rental, it will eat all your cash flow, same to replace a roof, etc, or if tenant trash the home, you need money to fix it again.To me personally a nice rental portfolio that is healthy consists about 10 units, so if you have an issue with a house the portfolio can cover the repairs and still healthy, but when starting you need to have cash on hand just in caseYes, there are multiple strategies you can use to hack your way to buy your first rental with minimum cash, but I would start wholesaling or fix and flip a few deals to create that cash as fast as possible

-Extract your equity through a cash out refinance of your existing property-Get a home equity line of credit -Sell the equity in your home to a company like Hometap-Use the equity in your home as collateral on a loan from a private investor -Get a low interest credit card that is secured by your home equityAll of these options still require a healthy down payment and a good deal with returns that are above and beyond your cost of capital so that your debt is levering up your profit vs levering up your losses.

That is the max loan to value where you can get the best rate available which will still give you 135k~ in cash for the next project, but leaving you with healthy cash flow on the property with the cheapest cost of interest you qualify for. 

I've been able to get a healthy combination of both cashflow and appreciation from all my properties after a little TLC.

I won't go into much detail, but I do have a decent athletic scholarship that saves a healthy chunk of money for myself.

They can handle day-to-day operations, tenant issues, and maintenance, which is vital for a smooth investment experience when you're not local.Also, consider the following:Economic Stability: Look for areas with diverse job markets and low unemployment rates.Population Growth: Areas with growing populations often indicate a healthy rental market.Rental Yield: Research the average rent in these areas to ensure your investment will generate the desired cash flow.Remember, each market has its nuances, so thorough research and possibly a visit to the area could be very beneficial.