However, independent of the painful schooling I've had being a long distance landlord (I refuse to hand it over to a prop man co), I've managed to turn the property around, literally doubled the rent from when i bought it, significantly improved the tenant base and have updated, renovated, and flushed out most of the poor workmanship the property has suffered over the years.

I would find a couple of independent agents and see if they have something more competitive. 

We used Independent Renovations LLC to do our brownstone reno.

Over the past couple months I've gone from having a passing interest in RE to a strong aspiration for achieving financial independence through buy-and-hold investing.

So if I start with a duplex or a quad as my first property my goal would be to have a net cash flow of $500I intend to use the "BRRRR" (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) method but have never used this strategy before so I still have a lot to learnIf I only close on two deals starting in 2019 then I will need to find another 20 deals in the remaining four years (2020-2024) that also meet this criteriaBeyond 2024 I plan to continue to scale even more over the next 3-5 years with an end goal of financial independence by ~2030 (meaning that I will not work a "day job" but will passively manage my real estate portfolio)Biggest hurdle: I'm going to be living outside of the US for the next 3 years and will (likely) not be able to physically see any properties that I plan to purchase.

If you are planning on making a living or becoming financially independent, it will come much faster owning the homes.

Fortunately, I have excellent credit, but I’ve been an independent contractor for the past 6 years, so I worry about qualifying for a mortgage.

Hi BP forum members,I read Rich Dad Poor Dad years ago and since then have always been interested in becoming financially independent through real estate.

To add more context:The ultimate goal is income => financial independence.

I am looking for recommendations for an insurance agent in the Independence, Mo. area that is familiar with buy and hold investing.