For practitioners in the real estate industry, the biggest challenge is not just the difficult work, high risks, or immense pressure, but the necessity to learn to let go of complete control over outcomes.

Leverage is a big factor in real estate investing, as investors can control large assets with relatively small down payments, increasing their potential returns (and risks).6.

Installing thermostats with regulated heat control (we pay heat) 3.

Also, check if they have skin in the game (their own money invested), as it shows they’re confident in the deal and aligned with your interests.If you’re considering alternatives, REITs are fantastic for super-passive investors who want steady, low-effort returns—usually about 2 points above a savings account—but you lose tax benefits and control.

If I donated to aids health foundation and they spent the money on rent control instead of aids research or health care, I would be pissed.  

., structural engineers, plumbers) for precision, or a general contractor for coordination if the scope is broad.

I'm sure there are many more experiences where the contractor hasn't fulfilled their scope of work and gotten away with rushing the project to meet the deadline, And, I don't want to be as naive to say that I'm that 1% who can have complete quality/operational control, but I'm confident I can establish a system and hire independent inspectors to review the contractor's work. 

Because if I'm trapped going larger than $5M in the future, I'd probably look for something smaller that I can control now rather than always having to use it in a syndication

And given #3 above, it leaves about 20% of rent for all other expenses like property tax, insurance and other PM expenses like leasing fee, eviction fee and other minor expenses like for e.g landscaping, pest control etc.

How much “control” are you willing to give up?