The projects I do, there is no way I can rely on a third party to make the decisions on all the design features and fixtures as that can make or brake the ARV.

That way you can have the benefit of both access to flip profit (cash out refi) and holding cash flow, all with only one house...and you aren't relying on a buyer to come though.

(though here in so cal it's good) An appraiser has to rely on their experience be able to look at all of the factors that drive pricing to come up with values in areas where there's no comps. 

I think I'll attend my first meeting next month just to get an idea of the whole ordeal but for the most part I think I'll rely on biggerpockets because of the plethora of information. 

I wouldn't pay for the realtor services and I wouldn't rely on their screening method, but I would review the packet of information they present to me to see what I could glean from it.There are a few important things to have in place before you begin to look for a tenant....1.

You could of course find a run down property, live in one unit while fixing up the other units, but then with such a low down payment you would be relying on your own income to pay the expensive mortgage.

I would imagine this phenomena would amplify in areas whose economy relies strongly on agriculture.In any case, my concern about using Section-8 as a hedge during a recession is how much funding the Housing Authorities issuing the vouchers have and the likelihood of cuts to those budgets.

There are many pitfalls to relying on the cap rate to evaluate an investments potential.

Then you will have a creditable report that can be relied on to make offers.  

Creating a video just for the sake of creating it and slapping it on Youtube and rely on SEO is a waste of time and money.