And mercifully, building wealth is a more important goal than the cash flow, to be sure.

So I get your hesitation to be too demanding and your desire for the problems to go away as fast as they can, however since you have NO property manager ( I don't use one either), it is incumbent that you take a more ACTIVE approach with management of your property.Let's review your situation.  1st time leak occurred, you sent a plumber over to find the problem.  

It was a good learning experience, but it made me realize that staying away from major rehabs (for now) might be the best move until I have a more reliable system in place.That said, having family in the area like your sister and brother-in-law is a huge advantage!

It is about creating a balance between being open to new tenants and protecting your property interests diligently.By fostering a more secure leasing process, you can ensure that your properties remain profitable and that your relationships with genuine tenants are based on trust and reliability.

Then you can read a more in-depth book like The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner or The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss.2.

However, if you have a more extensive portfolio or plan to become larger in the next year or two, I would look for a double-entry system that allows bank reconciliations.

I’m currently evaluating whether to go with a Fund Model instead of a traditional JV for an upcoming multifamily project, I will be working as a developer looking to do work with a more experienced developer on a larger scale multi-family opportunity.

Knowledge and use of this information should help you to make a more realistic cost estimates for your models. 

Thanks Dennis, I think you're right that planning for a more conservative return would be a good idea.I re-ran my numbers at an even more conservative level:Lower ARV: $800,000Lower income levels (I'm assuming it will take a couple years to get up to full potential income, but giving myself 3 years was a conservative estimate):Year 1: 50k (NOI $1,000)Year 2: 80k (NOI $31,000)Year 3: 100k (NOI $51,000)My ROI numbers come out to:1% (year 1) 46% (year 2) 76% (year 3)This scenario seems like an acceptable risk to me, when the upside seems far more profitable.

Raleigh/Cary is definitely competitive..it's a booming market, but your $30K in cash gives you some solid options, especially for a BRRRR strategy.If you're looking for slightly lower-cost entry points, here are a few markets to consider:Greensboro, NC: Staying within your home state, Greensboro offers a more affordable market compared to Raleigh.