I want a modest rental property portfolio as a retirement vessel for us as well as cashflow to insulate us from an economic downturn (job loss/injury/etc), and I'm wrestling with myself trying to find the best way to utilize this 80 grand I have access to. 

Then the crisis came and they all disappeared.

And these class-D neighborhoods only suffer in economic downturns.

I do not think however that the economics work well, you are unlikely to cover your expenses as what you can command in rent may not cover a mortgage due to high real estate costs.

I’d rather have a home in NYC or Denver that has economic fundamentals to appreciate massively.

Economic and demographic trends, Look for markets with growing populations and jobs, modern industries and diverse economies.

Long story short, I'm in the middle of reading his book Big Debt Crisis at the moment.

Many people forget that as little as 6 months to a year after the Great Recession, housing crisis, whatever you want to call it, people were already calling for another one.

Not only does the house have lots of cash flow potential, it's located in a market experiencing historically low vacancy rates, and what's being described as a "rental crisis".

Some would argue economic of scale, I do agree to some degree, but we do have sfr from far away that we make great cash flow without being there and those are some of our initial investments.