Rent is guaranteed by the government if you keep the property in livable working condition.  

What are some thoughts on putting say 30% down to increase cash flow a little bit and pay less interest over the life of the loan ?

This year, experts have noticed that the real estate market has been witnessing an increase in foreclosure activities across the country, including a remarkable shift in commercial foreclosures.

Will need to increase income or decrease debt (or both) for a more favorable DTI. 

This perspective is quite common in the MF sector, especially where sales comparisons are largely based on the asset's condition and financial performance (NOI which leads to a cap rate).When comparing two properties with similar capital expenditure needs, the industry standard is to evaluate them based on a cap rate.

Given the market conditions, you should have quite a bit of negotiation leverage with a seller. 

With that we can eliminate our utility costs which increases our bottom line and adds value to the building.

They want high volume agents to generate income for themselves, and increase their stats.Yes, as a Realtor (not all agents are Realtors), you have to abide by the Code of Ethics. 

One cannot really count on future value increases in Japan.

Plenty of people still moving here with record low unemployment means wages will rise and the increase in rates is not having the desired affect in our neighborhood.