@Shayan Sameer If you can service all debt and property expenses and have money left over then I'd say it's worth it.

My spouse went to school at UT and the rental there is a hold over from graduate school.  

i think you can be successful if you are willing to do what you alluded to, which is spend time in person in your chosen market. 

If I was starting over, I would go higher class than I started with.  

Imagine making millions of dollars over the course of your career and then having to pay 30-50% every year to uncle sam instead of compounding that cash over time.This is exactly what real estate professionals have learned to mitigate.To reduce their taxable income, they just buy a building every year, do a cost seg, and use depreciation to reduce their tax liability dramatically.Their personal wealth snowball grows much larger and much faster than their W2 counterparts who give most of their money back to the government each year.Following this strategy as a real estate professional is one of best ways to end up with a much larger net worth at the end of your career.

Over the next 7-10 years, these properties will fluctuate up and down in value based on the current economy; however, real estate will move up and to the right over time. 

If you wonder why the latter doesn't violate the same taxpayer rule, it's because a separate IRC section 1041 enacted over 40 years ago essentially says that spouses can transfer property between themselves without tax consequences, and to my knowledge the IRS has not come down on any 1031 exchange since then in which husband/wife sell relinquished property and acquire replacement property in only one of their names or vice versa. 

As a result, I would spend more time trying to understand who they are partnering with than anything else.  

Owning a duplex at 20 is a huge accomplishment, and it’s inspiring to see you’re already planning your next move.From my perspective, real estate investing is a long-term game focused on building equity, paying down debt, and maintaining stability over chasing short-term cash flow.

Stop hanging out with your deadbeat buddies who spend all day drinking, talking sports, and otherwise wasting away.