Once the work was complete, I refinanced to pay off the hard money loan and held the property as a long-term asset.This duplex also marked the start of my short-term rental journey—we ran our first Airbnb from one of the apartments before scaling to bigger projects.

Not sure what I did wrong, but it appears I am not able to start a post for questions, but looks like I can answer post fine. 

Self-Employment Opportunities: Would it make sense to start a side business related to my rental properties (such as property management) to access more deductions?

So I'm interested in getting started in purchasing and running self storage facilities and want to learn more.  

Hello everyoneI am new here and want to get started in real estate.

I would suggest a good PM to start if you don't have a solid background in hospitality or at least something in the service industry.Self-managing can save a ton of money if you know what you are doing. 

Quote from @Makani Donaldson: Hey everyone, so I started briefly looking into my markets that I would want to get into then met with a lender.

I started my career with the renovations team renovating the houses we buy, and with the property management company working with our residents and our maintenance teams.

However there are lenders starting to roll out a 15% down option. 

I personally believe you should start in your own backyard and find a way to make it work.