Getting into real estate is a tough proposition nowadays. Just getting into a primary residence is daunting, let alone buying a rental property.

A more accessible way to use leverage is trading long strangles on the options market.

A long strangle involves buying one put and one call to "strangle" the stock price. You can profit in either direction as long as the stock moves violently.

Owning rental properties is the long game, as it may take 20 years to become profitable. Once you have the startup capital, you can turn a profit rather quickly with options trading.

Ideally, you would trade long strangles over a few years to grow your down payment for a rental property. Then, you can leverage up from there. Good Luck!