Don't let fear drive your decision.

The decision was specific to the CDC moratorium, which applies to areas in which COVID numbers were very high.  

Thus begins what could be the most important financial decision of my life.Between then and now, I've started reading a few books and listening to a few podcasts to get some ideas.

Meaning don’t buy something just because you like it--buy it on favorable numbers.If you are looking for a fixer for instance, it's intelligent to find a fixer where you believe rehabbing will allow you to increase rents, and it's best in an area with increasing employment--as well as many other things.If you want to approach this in a hard nosed manner (not everyone does) it's smart to make all of your buy and sell decisions based on financial measures, such as the income stream, and on the return on investment that the income stream represents--as well as many others.It's also intelligent to calculate:1.Its Projected Cash Flow2.Its Projected Appreciation3.The Loan Pay down benefit you will get from owning it.4.The Tax Shelter you will get from owning it.As well as many other things.

If the market turns before year 3, it could limit your options and force a decision which is less than optimal. 

Before you know it you'll have spent 4 months researching markets, and still not made a decision.

I read EVERY book and made good decisions and took massive action.

You need to have a policy for whom you will accept and reject.This way, you are not making subjective decisions, which exposes you to liability for rejecting someone.

I would definitely say size of home impacts your decision for adding central AC.

When tenants can't pay the rent they can try to get a job, apply for welfare, apply for rent relief, go see the priest, or whatever.I run several businesses in California and I try to make believe that I am a manager who is working for a corporation in New York and I have to answer to that corporation for reasons e.g. why I made personal decisions to let tenants get away without paying their rent when I had the option to hire an attorney to evict the tenants.I own several fairly large apartment buildings and every tenant paid their rent on-time since COVID started with the exception of one 65-year old woman who lives in a studio and her rent is $1250.