I deal in a lower-income market in which I can achieve nice cash flow with no money down. I have to factor in reserves for maintenance and vacancies; otherwise those costs would eat all my cash flow. Non-paying tenants and evictions are part of the business in my market.
I have never thought about putting down more money in order to make a property cash flow, but it depends on your specific situation: how much cash you have, the best use of that cash, rental income in your market, etc …
I believe it is a good time to buy rentals, based on the opinions of posters on this board I trust.
I have read, however, negative comments on the future of rentals from the Amazing Bill, which I don’t dismiss out of hand.
As far as where to invest, I only invest in my local market of Baltimore. I personally would not do any long-distance investing, although I know some investors are successful with it.
Even in a local market there are lots of different markets, so you have lots of choices – assuming you live in a Metropolitan area.
As far as cash flow, I only buy if there’s positive cash flow.