I have never had a negative remark about me posted anywhere.

You can certainly buy a property that cash flows immediately, but once you add a property management fee and the cost of someone to clean it between rentals (which can be much more expensive than an average cleaning if they have to do a trash-out), it may negate the benefit of buying in a lower-cost area. 3.

I had called a few who didn't understand the concepts I was mentioning. 

In particular, OO does not have vacancy or PM and typically has cheaper maintenance/cap ex than the landlord would experience.https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/its-now-officially-cheap...if you use realistic expenses, purchase at retail (off MLS) without a value add, you will have negative cash flow on virtually any purchase.  

If values of real properties continue their long term increases, then owning more property even if it means having paid higher prices will turn out to be a winning strategy, provided the buyer is able to maintain ownership through periods of possible negative cash flow and or refinancing necessity. 

I believe a host profile with a face and a name also helped us avoid negative reviews, as guests are less likely to criticize an individual than a company.

REITS can be more highly volatile where they have super strong years and really negative years for returns.An UPREIT is another tool in the toolbelt of investing.

If your bottom line is such that having an immediate negative cash flow situation will significantly hurt you then I wouldn’t do it.

Seems like you have learned certain concepts that work but tend to escape even the most experienced landlords.

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by the concept of rental properties.