i am doing a 3/2 now in what some would consider a war zone but I've known the block for almost 15 years and it's solid....venture 1/4 mile in any direction and it's pure war zone.

We invest through two methods, pure rentals, and personals turned rentals.

You can buy a second home for 10% down, but pure investment properties are looking at 25% to 30% down. 

We buy both locally and pure out of state.

This analysis also excludes the appreciation gains over time which I look at purely as the icing on the cake.

I would echo @Adam Bartomeo - the podcasts are pure gold. 

Owner occupied, or pure rental?  

Thank you.Yes as fast as possible is always what you want.This number will vary a ton depending on the scope of work involved.Generally around here I would say ideal is 6-8 weeks for anything above pure cosmetics.  

My husband moves alot for work (active duty navy) so we buy personals that we turn into rentals and pure rental (rentals from day one).

Some general thoughts:If you want to buy an investment property as a "pure" investment property with conventional financing, you're more than likely going to have to put at least 25% down for the class of property you're interested in acquiring.