That depends on the local market and what you can charge for rent, and what your tolerance for pain is. When I first started buying houses to rent, I had a ren

That depends on the local market and what you can charge for rent, and what your tolerance for pain is. When I first started buying houses to rent, I had a rental unit in a LCOL area, and I spent a lot of time dealing with tenants and rent issues. It was a constant problem, so I sold the house. I might have broken even on the venture. I ended up with a handful of starter homes near nice schools, and had a much higher class of renter as a result. Far less work, vastly fewer headaches. I also had a FT job, so didn't have the time or energy to chase down rent checks.