[astura]

The average person probably shouldn't be buying investment properties anyways. Running income producing properties is more of a part time job than anything else. It takes significant effort to find the right property at the right price with the right renovations in order to make a good profit. Unless you're really willing to put in the leg work (and usually the "sweat equity"), you're better off putting your money in index funds or REITs. It takes the right person to make money in real estate.

I've known several people who wanted to "get into real estate" so they bought duplexes and became landlords. All of them lost money or broke even because they went into it without doing their due diligence. My parents ended up just walking away from their "investment" property and declaring bankruptcy, that's how much they lost out. It isn't buy property -> profit like people think.

Leverage cuts both ways - it magnifies both gains and losses.