Any thoughts from the math guru's out there approximately how much per year I'd need to put in?

Hi Community, I'm doing the math for the profitability of a rental.

I would love for that to be true, but the math doesn't add up.

Most people I work with live in primary markets (as opposed to Birmingham, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Memphis, Little Rock, Jacksonville, Ohio, or other secondary or tertiary markets) where the Rent-to-Value Ratios are under 1%. 

I typically do the math backwards to figure out when to start. 

My strategy is secondary or tertiary cities. 

With me paying the mowing, snowblowing, heat, electric, hot water, rental for one hot water heater and the 3 meters for extra gas usage, well, do the math. 

So in other words, the math that I use on single family properties is exactly the same as the math you use on apartments, and well, everything else in this universe. 

Learn the math for whatever type of investments you want to make, once you have the math down it is easy to formulate a goal for saving from there.

Allentown/Lehigh Valley: I would call this area the secondary market.