@John Powers I have a few friends who work for large real estate private equity funds as data scientists - essentially doing what you’re describing.

Define your investment goals, familiarize yourself with related terms, evaluate your financial situation, begin small, investigate markets, establish investment standards, cultivate professional connections, carry out exhaustive due diligence, investigate funding alternatives, and determine whether to manage the property on your own or by hiring a property management company.Decide what you want to achieve—stable cash flow, long-term growth, tax advantages, or all of these—and dedicate some time to learning about them by reading books, using the internet, taking classes, and attending seminars.

Hey @Dean Valadez, there will be exceptions but for the majority, rental real estate is a high CapEx / low cash flow business model.

I'm not sure how I'd make any decent returns with that limited low income clientele.Then I'd look at the supply.

@Simmy Ahluwalia Would you take a look at my scenario here and advice if you have a better option for funding?

This emergency fund should not only cover you mortgage expenses, but will give you a safety net in case something does go wrong after your tenants move in.

(Low Maintenace, High Demand).

Barrier to entry is better than much of CA, rents are high, inventory is low, jobs market is solid.

and when you come back sell a house and 1031 into multiple purchases because the loan will have been paid so low that your equity will be large.  

However, i need good funding partners to push ahead in order to take calculated risks.