PDX is also very unfriendly to landlords, so we are selling the home there, and will be investing the proceeds here in Kentucky in two (according to my wife) or three (I hope) homes that we can rent and earn some passive income once she's done with the Army in ten-or-so years.We expect one more duty station after we leave Kentucky and hope to use our VA benefits to purchase a home wherever that might be to add to the portfolio (We really wish we'd been smarter and done the same in Denver and Long Island).

Another vote (from another local) for house hacking here in Socal.A trickle of cashflow from the Midwest is less valuable that reducing your cost of living and building equity here on the coast.Best,Jon

@Deirdre Cullen I would recommend buying used furniture from Craig's List, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace ect. as students can be fairly unpredictable and reducing the cost up front would be the easiest way to reduce your risk.

For someone with earned income or assets you can peruse a garnishment of wages to get repayment of a judgment fairly easily. 3) Do not assume because his income is guaranteed that this means your rent payments are guaranteed.

Then you would typically get 15-20% of the returns above that 8-12% in addition to the returns earned on your own equity going forward. 

Ten of those houses will earn my company $1,600 a month.

Put every dollar you earn into the HELOC until you need to use it to pay bills.

If you find something close to where you live and reduce that management fee you can make more money.  

NET of *all* expenses, management fee, maintenance, future maintenance - I think it's a realistic 3.5% yearly return and it seems like there is not a shortage of tenants, and rents have indeed risen.3.5% is certainly not my goal in life....but I figured this is better than 1.5% that cash earns in low-risk accounts, so why not 3.5% in a low risk house.  

Break down the returns you have earned from your current properties and be able to talk about them/increase them over the years.