STR income: $170K/year with pool.

If you plan on moving do something else in the meantime and build up income/savings

Section 8 is best used as a risk mitigation tool for properties in super low income, high crime areas.

STR income: $160K/year.

So I do not have a tax filing with the rental income on it yet.

That's not worth 15% of the job.Another thing to consider is that some managers will charge low management fees and then add maintenance fees to bring in more income, while others charge high, all-inclusive management fees.

@Karen Margrave Im still interested in coming to the meetups that you were organizing.

The Numbers:Cash Flow Analysis: Investors typically look for properties that will generate positive cash flow—meaning the income from rent covers the property’s expenses (mortgage, taxes, maintenance, etc.) and then some.

Purchase is ~$500k and rental income will be ~$100k.Also rates may go down resulting in increased cash flow via a refinance.The answer to your question is there are a lot of different ways to make money via RE investing, but it used to be easier to find deals that work.  

The only other issue you will run into with leverage is being able to repeatedly do it before your debt to income ratio becomes an issue.