In terms of maintenance, they are generally safer because you are not responsible for the exterior and common areas and potential leaks, etc.

Where I live mice are common as the cold weather drives them inside.

I also treated studying like a full-time job.

Hi Benjamin, I’m in japan and doing real estate investing here for about 8 years in different styles besides my full time job.

You may want to live in a world of Wild West, anything goes business (I won't mention the orange haired political elephant in the room) but I assure you, your ignorant, uninformed, and weak defense of this sort of activity is not common.

Since I work pretty hard at my day job and don’t have much renovation experience, I wanted something simple—a rental I could put a tenant in and at least break even.

The two most common exemptions are the exemption for intrastate offerings and the exemption for private placements.  

Of course it isn't going to work for everyone...then again, I also have many friends with degree's that cost them 6 digits that cannot get a job in their field!

The seller had a military contractor job with security clearance.

The consistent population and job growth are driving real estate values along with many companies choosing to move and develop here like Intel, Amazon, Google, Meta, etc.