They seem to want to communicate things are going ok, but i find their communication to be below expectations.  

This implies that my investment decisions weigh return, passivity, and expected enjoyment.  

They told me they have a few SB-9 applications in process and expect it to take 3-4 months (ADUs they're deciding within 30 days).

Quote from @Otis Clayton: Quote from @Trevor Finn: Hey @Otis Clayton,Partnering can be a fantastic way to scale, but setting clear expectations upfront is key.

"pay me double of my expected assignment fee upfront., or in escrow and I will terminate it.

I would not expect to replace your W2 income in the first year and would project it to take 2-5 years before you were able to replace it, unless you are sitting on around 3-5M right now.

That may give you some indication of what to expect.

I’m not from the US and currently live in Europe most of the time.I’ve found some apartments that could work well for my needs—I plan to rent them out on Airbnb and reserve a few nights for myself when I travel there for work.My question is: apart from the purchase price (I’ve seen listings on Zillow averaging around $150k in areas like downtown Dallas, Old East, and Plano), what other costs should I expect—both during the acquisition and in monthly payments?

If you're expecting property owners to sell their home to you at a discount, you'll need to earn their trust - whether that be by demonstrating a successful track record with purchasing/selling similar deals OR by meeting them face to face and separating yourself from the dozens of local investors and realtors.Lastly, I'd recommend searching past posts related to this topic as well as checking out books related to your target investment strategies.All the best!

Sure enough the rehab ran over budget (we had a large contingency that was used up -- some due to contractor malfeasance, some due to pulling the trigger on big repairs like a new roof) and the revenues were right around expectations, maybe slightly below.