You will have to do something unique to make it effective & useful to you... because it's always no pain, no gain!

If you pay the surcharge of 2.5% that's $3,750 so you net a gain.  

The knowledge you gain from it will enable you to grow 10X in the future.

Other options could look like a property closer to you or in an area you are more familiar with, could be turnkey options with an established company, could be partnering with someone to gain some experience. 

RE Pro Status supercharges this.If you or your spouse are an RE Pro, your LP investments can lead to depreciation offsetting both passive and active income.If you are not an RE Pro, the losses due to depreciation can only be used to offset passive income—such as income from other rental properties or other passive investments.This post is misleading ... 

Plenty of resources here to get familiar with to gain insight on your REI journey. 

When it comes to property management, I’m hoping to take a passive approach and outsource most of the work, given that I am a university student.

Problem is only "RE pros" get to do it.There are 3 income classifications in the US - Active, Portfolio, and PassiveActive income is income derived from your job, or normal trade or business.Portfolio income is derived from bank instruments - stocks, bonds, etc.Passive income is income earned from investments.Active losses can wipe out both passive and portfolio income, but it doesn't work the other way around.Portfolio (capital) losses are limited to $3,000 annually.Passive losses can only be offset by passive gains.Real estate rental income by its nature is deemed passive per IRC Sec 469One way to get around it is to become a pro - spend more than 750 hours or 1/2 your time in real estate.But most folks aren't real estate pros.

We did live in the house for 2 of the last 5 years, so we wouldn't have to pay capital gains tax.

On Page 134, he lists the following when analyzing a deal:Sales Price: $132,490.00Sales Expenses: $17,000.00Loan Balance: $55,004.72Total Invested Capital: $35,950.00Profit: $24,535.28I agree with his thought process here when he calculates net profit, but I'm trying to verify the net profit by adding up all the sources of income over the past five years in his example by doing the following:Appreciation over five years=$12,490 (see chart on Page 133).Cash flow ($297.73x12x5)=$17,863.80 over five years.Loan paydown: ($60,000-55,004.72)=$4,995.28 over five years.Sales Expenses are still $17,000.Doing the math, profit= $12,490+$17,863.80+$4,995.28-$17,000=$18,349.08There is a $6,186.20 difference from the net profit he calculates.My question is: Is this $6,186.20 difference due to the forced appreciation gained in the property from the rehab he does in this example?