If you live nearby and can actively mange it or you have a really hardworking property manager then it can work.These properties also generally provide lower capital growth.

@Albert Ng - actually the most cost effective option is to owner-build.  :-)In all seriousness though, most Contractors I spoke with gave $350 per sqft or higher price. 

I sent the broker who was brokering the deal an email that stated "guarantee this person took the guru training of gettnig assets under agreement without the $", low and behold we get the name from them and B-I-N-G-0 I was right....

Besides it being the long way (the really l   o   n     g     way), the most glaring is the belief that you are somehow getting your money back out...you're not. 

@Rich Ng What I am trying to do is move from is using average net income on mint to something more tangible.  

All my other rentals have metered NG at the street.

@Rich Ng  don't see that happening... you would be pretty surprised when you dig into folks backgrounds and that someone who you think is a wiz bang on BP may not be who they even say they are... this guy ran on an Alias and once I figure out his true name I then found the red flags that would have precluded me from doing any business with him in the first place.If I still had my Accurant account I would have run him through the mortgage fraud module and it would have picked him out ... going forward if I bring on someone new its full criminal and credit background checks no exceptions.

We also mange rental property for our investors. 

@Rand Ng.

Quote from @Alex Ng: This is a common mistake.