You can buy FIVE million dollar properties ($200k down on each)+5% in LTV = ANOTHER MILLION DOLLAR PROPERTYHowever, Lenders love LOWER LTVs because the main tool to protect themselves if someone defaults on their loan (stops paying) is to foreclose on the property & take ownership.

It can be easier to sell SFR down the road and they tend to appreciate faster.On the flip side, however, finding a good duplex and a good dependable tenant can significantly offset ownership costs.

For example:Single Family:Less Money to PurchaseDon't have to pay any utilitiesSometimes a higher class of tenant who will take more of an "ownership" mentalityBetter LiquidityMulti-FamilyEconomies of ScaleLess Risk of Vacancy or Economic Vacancy Because it isn't all or nothingLess Difficult to manage (than say multiple properties)In my opinion, unless you are focusing on large properties, you go where the deals are, regardless of whether they are multi-family or single-family.

There will be a lot of knowledgeable folks there that can talk to you about the local market as well as REI in general.As for doing long distance property ownership the key thing is you need to find a good property manager.

While real estate doesn’t have to be rocket science, neither is it necessarily true that even an experienced investor can take ownership of a piece of property without needing to wade through negotiations and the finer points of the deal.Some deals, however, are inherently simpler; skipping the need to come to terms on things that might be fixed or improved or covered by the seller before the buyer takes possession.

Just bought my first rental property and I’m going to form an LLC and move it over to that ownership.

@John Thedford  I was just commenting in general as this is a common theme find a owner in foreclosure reinstate and lease backpentalies are quite severe.. to the point you would lose your ownership in house and all funds you paid.

I believe at 3 months ownership that would be taxed at regular income, not short term Capital gains, which I believe kicks in on day 366.

So, essentially, you can carve out roles and spell that out in the LLC and compensation, ownership %s, etc for that work can be structured into the agreement.  

Everything goes through cycles; interest rates, affordability, rents, supply of housing, cap rates, rental vs home ownership etc.