We have had some horror stories, but in almost all cases had we been more diligent we could have avoided them or gotten the tenants out sooner and minimized damages.   

The Blackstone funds are interesting in that they (minimally) file a Reg D, don't disclose revenue, are LPs, and are exempt from further filings.

If the property is a Short Sale or REO, then I would put minimal down.

Thanks to HARP 2 they all cash flow (minimally!).

I do them all the time with minimal effort.

I've been running most of my expenses through an LLC to minimize taxes at the end of the year, but it sounds like this isn't the best option in the eyes of conventional lenders.Steve Babiak thanks for the input, I was under the impression that as long as rent collections * 0.75 covered all expenses and the property was cash flow positive, the banks wanted to see the rental income for 6 months or so.

I did it for a few years and it was a ton of work for a minimal commission.

When I set up my account with Guidant, the lawyer I worked with said managing a rental was OK, because the effort required for property management was minimal.

If the risk is minimal, it may be worth taking, because that basement unit brings another 500/month and I have not rent control due to the city calling it a 4-unit.

One thought was to purchase wholesale or wholesaleable properties in cash, fix them up, rent them out, and keep refinancing, though now I see banks may limit this to 4-5 properties.What in your opinion is the best way for someone like me to get a high return with minimal risk?