To plan investment and future rental goals in Albany, research market trends, explore financing options, understand landlord-tenant laws, manage property early, budget for maintenance, and connect with local investors.

Honestly, those are goals I want to have.

There are a number of strategies that could be taken with the property that would meet my goals so I wanted to leave it open ended so as to not discourage people from chiming in with their thoughts and ideas.  

His goal is to diversity his money as he's been very successful in another business.

I would question if it is even a top 10 factor for most.Is the build time actually faster? 

What are your main investment goals—cash flow, appreciation, or something else?

If your just looking to invest then I would make a 1,2 and 5 year financial goal.

The goal is legitimate: due to complex tax rules, you have opportunities to game the system by selling some of your investments and intentionally generating either gains or losses.

The goal for a buyer is to find Lowest Acceptable Offer.

In Phoenix, a 1996 build is practically brand new when compared to a WWI-era home in Cleveland or Pittsburgh or some other Midwest or East coast city.While I agree that older homes come with more problems, buying something newer may not work as the price will be higher and won't cash flow as well.I'm of the mindset to buy what fits your budget and investment goals.