I have tried a few of those, Redfin is my direct competition in most of the Zips I works, they only had leads waaaay out in the rural areas/desert, for Ojo we really need to be on the paid platform for quality leads, still trying Upnest, Have had success with Agent Pronto, OP city only sent low end land and mobile home leads which are time burners in this market, Homelight only partners with a few big teams here, Clever is on the list to try, fingers crossed thats a good one for SoCal

I'd strongly prefer to have a cash-less payment mechanism though, ideally a phone or a card that you can add funds to with a credit card or phone, so that tenants aren't forced to use coins or cash bills.

But by all metrics, and by all accounts on an asset(usually a mechanism that appreciates) leverage is always the wiser tool.

New plumbing, electrical, and mechanical behind the walls? 

And just keep doing that, let it season.yes, the trick is the same:1. buy house that appreciate double than inflation, double than nationwide average2. put 30-40% LTV3. financing as long as possible.for that to work, we need reserve, that reserve is coming from other money printing system that we have, it could be w2 as cardiologist or car mechanic, but the way is the same.And if someone is really really good , try to raise capital, and do the same (I'm not on this level lol) Btw, Miami appreciation looks super good for next ten years.

ALSO, more buy on terms, more buy via unique constructive means such a C4D or LO, all additional mechanisms a business entity is doing for-profit. 2.1 Appreciation is GUARENTEED by the higher rates.

I have a mechanical murphy bed product I have used in our vacation rental that people absolutely love!

Just remember that mechanic liens can precede your loan potentially and lien release waivers and onsite inspections of work completed are super important to the release of funds

I've known investors to try investing in mobile homes which have not worked out for them.

@James Rodenberg I think everyone should self manage when they start out because 1) starting out you have much smaller margins and saving the PM fee will help you stay afloat as you grow. 2) you learn by doing and you will gain good experience from dealing with tenants and their problems, you'll also learn how the mechanicals of your properties work so you'll understand why problems are occurring.