The resources and books you mentioned, like the BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide and The Book On Rental Property Investing, sound like excellent starting points.Prioritizing financial stability and eliminating debt is crucial, and I agree that a solid financial foundation is key to successful investing.

I am seeking advice of what to do with the money from someone who exit the business and successfully got similar income and appreciation of capital.

To maximize your chances of success, recommend sharing that and the percent increase in taxes & ins with tenant and asking them what they think a fair increase is.- If they say $0-$50, you'll have to get rid of them at end of current lease.- If they are more reasonable you may want to accept if for now, but let them know you'd be doing regular increases to get the rent more inline with market rent.Too many newbies here will tell you to get market rent or get rid of the tenant.

One of the biggest factors in successful flips is building a strong team: contractors, agents, lenders, and property managers. 

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

Staying Flexible in NegotiationsAs agents, licensees are bound by ethical and legal rules that may limit how they negotiate or market deals.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

We do this for a living and our reputation depends on you successfully securing a loan, on time, and as promised. 

You snowball plan has a very high success rate.

These are some of the most successful people; CEO’s, tycoons, celebs, old and new money and investors on the planet.