@Chris Seveney The types of leads I'm targeting are absentee owners, vacant properties, pre-foreclosures, tax delinquencies, and probates. 

If not, what are property tax sales? 

Hard to give good advice without more info, but since You are single no kids it's hard to beat buying a single family fixer upper and living in it for two years and then selling for tax free profits....I'm a big fan of Waltham these days $.02 

If you need financial help, ask under the "Finance, Tax, and Legal" forum.

It is what is left after snow removal, cutting the grass, utilities, tenant issues, parking lot issues, property taxes, mortgage payment, etc. that make a difference.

The units are all currently occupied right now, so we won't have to worry about the buyer's market right now haha.With the cash flow I will receive, it will be enough to take care of property taxes, insurance, and enough to save up for any emergiences with the unit that I will need to take care of, so no need to worry, I got you :)!

Your loan will be $1,100 a month, add insurance and property tax.

(d) retained earnings from depreciation use to lower tax burden. 

I truly think I only need 4 more houses to hit my goal and then shift from buying to paying them off.I am not sure if I am thinking about this the right way and I am sure there are things I am not thinking about but below are my thoughts:Pros - I can purchase the houses I need to hit my goal faster - With getting homes fasters the depreciation, tax benefits, amortization, appreciation, rent increases all start sooner - Home prices on average should be lower now then if I buy in 4-5 years - I can take better advantage of leverageCons - I have more risk until I pay the properties off - Less upfront cashflow - Longer timeframe to acquire the properties to reach my goalIf anyone has any opinions or advice I'd love to hear it.

Use tax benefits like depreciation, repair deductions, and tax-free refinance proceeds to offset income, and consider an LLC for liability protection.