However, rents are low in my area, and wouldn't cover my current mortgage.

- I was hoping that this could allow an FHA 3.5% for her leaving plenty of equity ($92K) to buy me out and cover the down payment and fees ($30k to me, $14k down, $3k fees).

Red flags include..I want to move in early....I want to do a long term lease...I will pay you in cash....I will pay a double security deposit...I will pay multiple months in advance.....These are big reds flags that applicants will use to sweeten the deal to cover for something else..... its the carrot to lure you into the trap.

Criteria aside, I think being in a prime location, if it covers expenses and pays itself off, it's pretty good.

We tried to charge them the lowest amount by not adding labor or materials for certain repairs for example to repair poor cover-up job for holes they made in walls, we just charged partial contractor labor and not materials.

But these only cover the mechanics of investing.

The group is heavy on people getting into MF and even international REI.  

I wouldn’t want to get stuck with a huge payment on my home, and if I purchase a rental and the cash flow only covers my new mortgage payment, it doesn’t seem to make much sense.

First I got a box spring cover which you'll want to leave on and unopened for over a year, then I sprayed the earth all over, along baseboards, under furniture custions, under the mattress, on the mattress, everywhere.

Similarly, one of the houses needed an electrical panel replaced (we found out with the inspection) and once we said we wanted the cost covered by the sellers, he sent his electrician in to get a quote, and wrote it in the contract.