Be sure to attend your local REI meetups to build up a strong network and check out the forum topics specific to your goals.

Align yourself with several investor-strong agents or long-time agents with tons of connections.

Also, as you highlighted the tenant base is highly reliable, with strong employment, security clearances etc.

Smaller renovated Lakewood two families (less than 2000 sq ft) can be bought under $200K (sometimes under $175K) but rents potential much lower (e g $900 vs $1200 a unit)Clifton Edgewater (west of West Blvd, north of Detroit) and Kamms (area just south of Lakewood) along with Lakewood have always been strong areas and are priced at/near Lakewood (and to some extent share the same tenant base).  

Focus on properties that will have a strong rental market and a clear path to increase in value.Overleveraging:Some investors refinance and pull out too much equity, leaving them with little to no cash flow.

Even in landlord-unfriendly cities like NYC and San Francisco, major investors are drawn by strong demand, high population density, and historically stable property appreciation.

@Cory MeliousGiven the clear lease addendum and initialed acknowledgment of the rules, you’re in a strong position to recoup at least part of the repair costs from these tenants.

It sounds like you're in an ideal position to transition into real estate investing, with both your industry experience and a strong local market at your advantage.

With today's market I think it's important to get creative with sourcing/structuring deals in order to make them strong investments.

Turning your space into an assisted living facility sounds like a solid move, especially if there’s strong demand in your area.