If you move a shovel you're going to create inventory and get slapped with ordinary income tax. 

I'm on the hunt for some value add deals that I can add my own artistic flare to.Look forward to meeting everyone!

And TX and FL are tax free states. 

I have someone (tenant) that I hire to shovel snow for me upon request.

IE Shoveling sidewalk in winter.

See some guy out mowing grass (or shoveling snow, lol) stop and ask him.

Just for some context, up until recently, I've shoveled everything into tax-advantaged low-cost index funds, so pretty new to this real estate thing and am trying to get my mind right.

Even if you plan on doing the lawn care/snow shoveling yourself Definitely factor that in to purchase price for the future since you will get tired of shoveling snow, I know I did very quickly. 

You needn’t worry about shoveling or clearing sidewalks ,that is for the tenant to figure out .

Some here are trying to write it all off as irrational "hate", but they might also be selling services to wholesalers, or are one themselves, so they have a vested interest in convincing you its a valid business model.Also a lot of these "haters" have been in the game a long time, longer than the shovel-sellers and other wholesalers, so there's probably actual valid reasons for their opinions..