Your total spend might be like $1,500/year on everything from brokerage to MLS to boards.

Managing expectations is key. 

And are you looking for turn-key properties or something along the lines of a "fixer upper"?

G'Day Luka,I'm not a fan of out of state BRRRR.It's hard enough for us on the ground to get rehabs done on time and on budget and I don't even want to think how difficult, expensive and time consuming it would be for out of state investors.And then include a high LTV and that can be a portfolio killer IMO.Hat's off to you mate for grabbing the bull and jumping in.You live, you make mistakes, you learn and you grow.Such is life.Building a large portfolio is an absolute must when investing in sub $100,000 properties in Ohio.I "killed" my business by not wanting to sell to investors that are using leverage.Our sales volume could increase by 70-80% but it is what it is.I just don't believe in it or want the hassle associated with it lolReason is mostly two fold:1) Not in the mood to deal with lenders for 2 months and hope the deal will go through.2) I don't believe that investors should use high LTV when building the foundation of their portfolio.My advice to you:1) Pay them off as quickly as you can.2) Build a larger portfolio.The investors that $#@% the most on my name are the ones that buy 1 or 2 properties and expect miracles.As you said, 1 furnace goes out or a sewer line needs repaired and bye bye cashflow for 2 years.We get blamed although we can't predict to fix certain things and there are just many unknowns with all investments.Our happiest investors are the ones that own 6-7 or even 10+ properties and all with cash and no leverage.They aren't worried about turns or tenant issues that occur on 1 or 2 properties as it's just the nature of the beast.Returns vary but across the board over the last 10 years I have seen 6-10% net ROI's year after year.Building a large portfolio is a must to minimize risk and to get the best possible long term ROI.Thanks 

A prudent investor doesn't seek quick riches through shortcuts.

My guess is you are renting long term, turn key properties.

If you're willing to be more active, purchase a property or two in an area you personally know well and have key contacts (handypeople, contractor, lender, etc.).

It might be broken intermittently, I have had that happen on a zone heating system that used little computer boards and relays.And as @James Wise said, You need to think about protecting your investment from freezing because broken pipes which can be very expensive to have remediated.Good Luck!

Again how we balance automation and the use of AI for ops streamlining with human-centered property management is key.

What these $20 - 40k “mentorship’s” sell is a SHORTCUT, but it does NOT work because the PRIMARY real estate education and knowledge MUST be there in order to be able to implement and strategy or tactic correctly, at the correct time, and under the correct conditions.