Now I spend my time making sure new investors entering the market do not make the same mistakes my wife and I made. 

What if the property manager made mistakes?

The common mistake here is that not ALL your equity is borrowable on a property and even more so on a investment property then an owner occupied property. 

Agents are also advising you to look for expensive mistakes (like checking the sewer which could cost 5-40k) and using their network and contacts to find homes off market or FSBO.  

If any of you have done renovations in the Fort Worth area I would love to pick your brains to ensure I make as few mistakes as possible. 

And someone jumping into this as a complete newbie can expect that they have a decent chance of making some expensive newbie mistakes. 3) On the other hand, I feel one of the main advantages of passive investments (via syndication/crowdfunding) is that I can hire a manager who has years more experience than I can ever hope to obtain myself.

This is going to take years and years of learning and mistakes.

However, chances of making a mistake or overlooking an opportunity to save are higher when it comes to rentals.The dilemma is whether it's worth paying a professional in this case.

@Jordan Miller most Class A & B rental properties bought since 2021 really don't cashflow from day one.Class B will take 1-3 years to start showing cashflow.Class A, 3-5 years.Current investors keep making the mistake of looking back at deals from 5-10 years ago when prices & interest rates were both a lot lower, but NOT rental rates.

Selling your duplex could be a solid move if it helps eliminate your revolving debt and gives you a financial reset.