It may be a good time for you become an investor in real estate.  Owning rental property provides many opportunities to build wealth, including tax write offs and the benefit of someone else purchasing your home by making the monthly payments (rent).  A few of my best tips follow.

Be prepared to carry the mortgage and upkeep.  This means you need some disposable income.  Taking on another house payment, taxes, insurance, and maintenance can be quite a burden and impact your lifestyle.  You would be lucky indeed to own a rental property with 100% occupancy 100% of the time.  Be prepared to make some payments.  

Consider Location.  My advice is you need to make regular inspections and it's difficult to do that if you have to drive all day or get on a airplane.  Buy a property near you where you can take care of some of the maintenance yourself and make regular inspections. 

Consider the Neighborhood.   Working class neighborhoods are best.  Mid-priced homes in quiet neighborhoods are desirable and affordable to prospective tenants and the rent is more likely to cover the cash flow. 

Avoid Pools if possible--too much liability plus additional maintenance.  If you have a pool, employ a pool service and make sure it is properly secured.

Look for good buys  You want a sturdy home in either new condition or if it is older, it should have been updated regularly unless you have enough capital to replace failing systems.  Get a home inspection in order to have as much knowledge as possible about what you are getting into.

Consider Hiring a Property Manager.  Having somebody represent you removes emotion from the day to day interactions with tenants.  Our flexible services range from helping you find a new tenant and having them pay their rent directly to you or collecting the rent and disbursing it to you.  You can handle maintenance or we can.  Our service is a low cost option if you wish to be removed you from the day to day management stresses.