If you have debt and you have no renter you have a problem.. this happens when people leave an area for greener pastures.. or they move in with relatives... granted its nice to have cash flow rentals but its not a be all end all.. the safe play is to own them with little to no debt. 

It saved us a lot of grief & yet one still walked away leaving $6,000 on the table.

Off-market deals have the potential to be better deals, but you have to find/create them yourself, or pay a wholesaler who leaves some profit in the deal for you (thus giving you a better than usual price and cap rate).

@Patrick Maynard IMO I would definitely leave your investment property leveraged.  

If money leaves the country into another country, re-patronization taxes do occur.

It also can be read by shining it by a flash light. 

The house we currently live in is a 2 family and we plan on renting the half we live in when we leave.

The majority of tenants will not leave for a nuisance 30-50 rent bump to market.  

The box they leave in the basement is *always* going to say a number greater than 4.0, because that's what the testing company - which is also the remediation company - needs it to say to sell the work.I'd really love to call for a radon test on a house, let them put the box in the basement, and then move it out into the fresh air and sunshine in the back yard after they leave. 

Glad I didn't leave anything out.