Tenants sustain the property and the landlording business and bring you liabilities - not money.

Did we all really think that homes could sustain an appreciation rate of 30% a year?

Better to be sure you can sustain the property out of your other income, or buy and fix cheaply enough that its at least break even, if not positive.

As a rule of thumb, it costs several $1000s a year to sustain as a realtor with the membership, lockbox, mls subscription, desk fees.

Property Mgmt income may go down as rents go softer, but certainly sustainable.

When you start thinking along these lines (repetitive, sustainable business - not a one time flash in the pan windfall) your picture will become more realistic.

1 - DSCR just shows the lender the property can sustain itself and the rents cover the debt2 - Terms vary but will typically be 5-10 year ARM on commercial loans3 - 20-30% down is standard depending on the deal (SFH vs MFR) etc.

My plan is to keep my current job while investing on the side until it becomes more sustainable. 

Is your rental income enough to sustain you?

One good startegy is to BRRR (or better BRRARR) a property - the financial sustainability of the approach over the life cycle of the investment is usually not pointed out sufficiently - a fully improved property will yield higher rent and require little money for repairs and maintennace in the first 10-20 years.