It's the asset itself that produces income. 

The way I do it for my properties was always a COC (cash on cash) version which was always my personal preference and I looked at it sort of like thisFor example:Property A: 25k + 7k to close (25% plus closing cost) Property required 32k to close Property A as an investment/business is now sitting at -32k and Produces 10k/y cash flow.

Your attitude is summed up by Justice Scalia -- "the transformation of charity into legal entitlement has produced donors without love and recipients without gratitude." 

Alliance Wealth Builders, Inc. specializes in helping individual and institutional investors from around the world purchase turnkey, cash producing real estate in the greater Birmingham, Alabama area, and other key markets in the State of Alabama.

My suggestion is pick 2 ways, go at them hard and give them a year to produce consistently before you ditch it for a different method. 

I’m wanting to buy and hold rental properties that can produce strong cashflow.

@Mitch Paumen As Jordan stated, a lot of people will look for at least a 10% COC return otherwise the stock market can produce the same results.

What you are experiencing has nothing to do with your screening process; it has to do with the already pro-tenant local/state laws on the books coupled with the executive orders that governors/mayors have proclaimed in these pro-tenant areas and the public messaging these elected officials are producing.  

(I don't know if it is still around.)During a home inspection, I was introduced to this product and the horrors it can produce if installed incorrectly.

I will continue using this rental strategy until it no longer produces amazing returns.