We have a strict budget in place and will be saving ~$4-5k a month once debt is paid off, but do not an investible nest egg yet.

But strictly going by the numbers, it's borderline OK, depending on the type of market.

Duplexes provide privacy, flexibility, and scalability, but strict short-term rental regulations may increase upfront costs and maintenance.

Some HOA's are super strict (especially in neighborhoods built in 2010 and newer) and some have zero regulations.

Strictly from a private money lens: If you're open to a 2nd position private money loan against your STR's, it's possible.

When investing in New York, be strict and strategic about your approach.

If your Alabama LLC conducts all operations and income generation strictly in Alabama, you may not need to register it as a foreign LLC in California.

At best it sounds like you broke even and made the money strictly through principal paydown with no appreciation above your costs unless you had some pretty good cash flow. 

While traditional banks provide lower interest rates, they come with strict approval processes and long wait times.

My tenant ultimately rehomed their cats (which had been indoor/outdoor despite my policy that all cats are strictly indoor) because they found them to be too much responsibility for their current situation which made me sad.