I do have some investment experience and I'm currently managing 1 property, all the numbers are great and there's a good amount of cash flow and long term growth so I'm not a total green horn. 

We have a lot of owners convert to Mid Term or Long Term rentals.  

It may help to lower your price during the slow winter months for a six-month lease, then bump the rate up in the summer when demand is higher.Zillow will tell you how long each listing has been on the market.

If you are buying in a more metro area, there will be lots of choices.In our area, we are quite rural and I couldn't guarantee that I would find the resources to do setup completely remotely.

Assuming you are both working and the rentals are long-term, rental losses up to $25,000 can offset W-2 income if your MAGI is under $150,000, with excess losses carried forward.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

Ensuring your rental market can sustain these costs will help maintain profitability over time.The 7% DSCR loan is relatively high, and refinancing later at a lower rate could improve your long-term cash flow.

The taxes and insurance sound like where we are in St Augustine and NY. 

I cannot believe I missed them for so long! 

You spend a lot of time and money having people do this work, and at the end of the day you don't net any more income compared to a long term rental.

Creative financing: Explore seller financing or subject-to deals for your next property, which often require less upfront cash and bypass traditional lending limits.You’re on the right track thinking long-term—house hacking and leveraging your duplex are great moves.