If you had also spend money on renovations and improvements while occupying those should have gone into service then as well. 

I have always been a believer in getting as much money as possible from the tenant before evicting them to minimize the costs associated with turning a unit because where I work, in an older city with a ton of small multifamilies, those costs can add up even in the best of times.

Sometimes, we tax professionals can save you a lot of money or save you from a major problem.

You should have money set aside for litigation.

A couple months ago there was a guest on the BP money pod that said something I really liked, "put your risk in your ROTH" and by that he meant that if you're going to invest in something riskier that has the potential to have large returns, put that in your ROTH account because you're only taxed on what goes IN to your ROTH, not what comes out.

How do you become a broker for hard money lending? 

They loved it because they got some play money right away and steady income each month without having to deal with toilets and tenants.

If you have a chunk of money to get going I'd personally buy the biggest thing you can if you don't I think house hacking into a 4 plex is great. 

If you ever have any questions feel free to reach out and ask I enjoy helping and offering tips and loopholes to help save time and money.

Yes you will save some money by self managing but more important you will learn what it takes to manage a property.