We have a 15-year, 3.2% (IIRC) mortgage with 13 more years to go (we recently re-fied to 15 years to catch the interest rate).  

If I see something that needs attention, I take a snapshot and discuss with the tenant in private.I give my contact info to each tenant and INVITE them to call with their concerns and that's creates multiple sets of eyes on the property :grin:

I mean, you could skip that step, technically, and it wouldn't catch up to you until someone takes your LLC to court, but that's not really a risk you want to take with hundreds of thousands of assets at stake.

My goal is to one day have enough cash flow to be able to easily afford to pay for a $3,000 mortgage on an $800,000 dream home I have my eye on in a neighboring suburb (I know it will appreciate in value) while still acquiring more propertie.

I tend to agree that my best bet is to find something off market and I'm working on building up a network that will help me get eyes on some of those deals. 

C class do cash flow well but only when properly managed with a keen eye on the bottom line. $850/month may be overly optimistic.

If someone is renting to own they generally will take more care of the property as they in their eyes believe it to already be theirs.*^ not always the case and there will always be risk, but also is something to maybe look into. 

If you have any suggestions as to how I might catch the good deals even sooner I would appreciate the advice.  

The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy real Estate Investor" by Amanda Han and Mathew MacFarland opened my eyes to how beneficial entities could be.

Tim, I would be interested in being another set of eyes and ears on the front lines for you.