Open to out of state investing - consider buying near some of the larger military bases and take advantage of military personnel utilizing their housing allotment to pay rent. 

Instead, a hybrid approach could be more cost-effective and aligned with your goals.Why Full-Service Property Management Might Not Be Necessary:Based on my experience, Evolve is a popular "half-service" property manager, which means they handle tasks like creating professional listings, managing dynamic pricing, guest communication, and advertising on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.

However, if you prefer something more hands-on, a duplex could be a safer starting point.Ultimately, both are good options, but a 4-plex offers better long-term growth if you're ready for the larger commitment.If you need help with financing or analyzing your options, feel free to reach out, I’d be happy to assist!

If it's a larger organization, feel free to inquire about their different staff qualifications.2.

I get builders risk policies for all my new builds and at least in the markets I built in Charleston SC  and Portland Oregon have never seen the fence and security and like you I would have trusted my broker to mention something like that.. fence and 24 hour security is just not something you do on ONE SFR rehab.. unless its a known high crime area like South side of chicago and now inner city Portland you really need the fencing etc other wise the homeless and druggies will walk off with everything.. when did a bunch of rehab loans in South Jackson MS same thing theft was off the charts and we had houses burn down .. but the dollars were much smaller.I know I have gotten larger policies for my bigger developments and I did pay my lawyer to go through them line by line and at the end of the day they really cant say what is or is not covered.Also you simply would not think of anything in Colusa county as being high crime .

Do one task at a time in each app so you can compare apples to apples.Load a property with pictures and details.Market that property.See what your marketing looks like from the public's perspective.Submit a fake application to see how easy the process is.

Historically some areas of the country such as areas on the West Coast and South have  experienced larger valuation swings than other areas in the country.  

Additionally, a larger property like this is valued based on the actual cash flow, not sales comps, so you have the ability to force appreciation faster with efficient management.Adding the a 5-10 unit may also increase the amount of time you spend getting you closer to the 'Real Estate Professional' status for tax purposes opening up room for offsetting some W-2 income on taxes.  

Perform the same task in each app to ensure a fair comparison.Load a property with pictures and details.Market that property.See what your marketing looks like from the public's perspective.Submit a fake application to see how easy the process is.Run a credit/screening report on yourself.Enter a maintenance request, assign a vendor, and attach a fake invoice.Enter charges to the tenant's ledger.Enter recurring charges and automatic late fees.Sign documents electronically.Run owner reports.After testing a few apps, one should clearly stand out.

Not sure if you're still looking but, condos can be a solid investment for long-term rentals due to their typically lower purchase price and less maintenance responsibility, as many exterior tasks are handled by the condo association.