Today, USDA has taken over much of that niche, leaving the affordable housing market with FHA.Mortgages were traded and secured by bonds partly out of the Securities & Exchange Act in '39, the formation of banking reform under Roosevelt.

Agree with everyone, if you can afford it, maybe add a nice porch light fixture above the door.  

If you are not willing to learn how business is done or can't afford it, maybe you should reconsider what you are doing.

I am afforded the luxury of having a friend who owns and rents over 50 properties.

They want their family to live in a nice area with nice schools, and they can afford the payments.  

Missoula is one of the best towns on earth, and there seems to be a ton of affordable real estate there now, and a great, growing university which provides lots of renters.  

If you can afford to lose the money and not lose sleep, the go ahead. 

However, it very much depends on......2) Can you afford this?

The renter wants to buy it, but the bank wants 20% down and he can’t afford that until next year.

Cash flow is my end goal, but in order to reach that point where I can afford those kind of properties I'm left with the method mentioned above unless someone can give me any better ideas.Please, anyone reading along this thread; would you please give me some pointers if my mindset is not in the right place or there is a more optimal route I can take.Ideally, I'd like to keep my potential business partner because of the fact that he would cover any labor costs in the present as well as in the future and is giving me full control of the property in terms of tenants, decisions on holding / selling, and what to do to properties in order to appreciate their values.