The old owner unfortunately locked his tenants into $800 leases which scared away some buyers before he listed.

Numbers 2 and 14 seem to fit - the others are related to inflation and a tech bubbleclick to enlarge2.

To maintain control and avoid being locked into larger deals, consider directly owning replacement properties or exploring a partial 1031 exchange while carefully structuring syndication investments.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

I recognize there are other ways I could invest this cash (including another property) but I am being mindful of levering myself out too much in the current environment where job losses are more common in my industry (tech).

You might want to get in touch with @Andrew Freed and Jonathan Bombaci, they are locked into several of the MA meetups which are great ways to connect with other investors in real life.

Very tech-forward and straightforward experience. 

My advice: don’t overthink it—your first house hack is about learning, so pick a strong rental market, ensure solid demand, and lock in a deal that gets you close to break-even or better.

I can do this as I manage over 60 units and it makes the most sense, and I beat the market every month.If I had 1-5 units, I would like use PriceLabs (or Beyond Pricing) and use their base tech as well as manually checking things at minimum weekly.

Expensive markets are often desirable because many people want to live there, driving up demand and prices.Reno, NV, for instance, is a market that benefits from diversified employment sectors, including tech manufacturing, hospitality, and recreation.

It's was so easy for me getting started to get shiny object sindrome instead of locking in ONE STRATEGY, ONE NEIGHBORHOOD, ONE PROPERTY TYPE, ONE RENOVATION TYPE, etc.