All of these come back to one important factor, you need to bring value to the table while mitigating risk.

You should factor in time value of money and opportunity cost.  

Regarding costs there are a lot of factors considered but to give you a ballpark idea, here is a brief scenario: Our main office is based out of Cherry Hill NJ, a typical 3 bedroom row-home lead-paint inspection in that area would cost on average $450, however we can service the entire state of New Jersey (North Jersey office in Montclair, NJ). 

It's also essential to factor in your financing costs and ensure your cash flow projections align with holding costs.

Employment is a key factor in tenant approval, and a good tenant should understand that.🔹 Final Thought: If a tenant is already pushing back on basic screening, it’s often a sign of future issues.

Your deterrent factor is higher, the tenants seem to like it, and you can even monitor what's going on remotely!

My main goal is to find a solid rental market with good cash flow and long-term appreciation potential.Any insights, personal experiences, or key factors I should consider when choosing a market would be really helpful.

Considering doing a 75% cash out refinance > 30yr 7.45% interest rateIn what situations might the 50% Rule provide a misleading picture of a property's financial health, and when would relying solely on the DSCR potentially overlook important factors? 

Any key factors to consider or lessons learned when trying to scale efficiently?

The other factor that's relevant for me is that my husband is a high end W-2 wage earner and we could greatly benefit from the potential tax benefits of actively managing the property.