Good bye stock market hello REI. Advice?

I don't trust our financial system to hold true for too much longer, so I'm looking for something a bit more tangible than mutual funds to invest my $$ into. Residential real estate is appealing, but I don't know a whole lot about the best ways to get started.

Can someone point a noob like myself to some good advice? For example:

- what's a good rule of thumb about rental property financing (down payment size, etc.)?
- are good rental properties always on the lower end of the cost spectrum?
- any tips for managing risk?

Thanks!