Also any tips for automating this as much as possible and how to protect the property financially and property management would be appreciated.I ALMOST understand the rental arbitrage strategy if building a company scaling with say 30 + units and looking for high short term cash flow.  

Analyzing the neighborhood and the asset condition is the key to projecting accurate returns. 

Learn what each one of these are, and see which makes the most sense to apply to your specific financial plan. $150 cash flow on any rental especially a triplex is dangerzone imo. 1 month of vacancy of 1 unit could destroy a years worth of financial gains.  

Do you need cash flow from it for income or will light to no cash flow work if you can groundswell appreciation on a good asset?

This is a "foot in the door" asset type!   

By making yourself an asset, you’ll increase the chances of someone taking you under their wing.Use BiggerPockets to connect locally.

@Tove Fox hope you find this copy & paste useful:)-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

I am continuing to make payments on the existing mortgage from the payments received from my buyer, which I am assuming is a characteristic of a wrap-around mortgage where the seller acts as the financier for the difference between the existing mortgage and the sale price.

Many people don't realize that you gain as much or more net worth through debt pay-down, and while it's less liquid than cash flow, over a 5-10 yr hold period it's considerable if you buy in the right areas with the right asset class.