When choosing tenants (I am in California), it's important to avoid even the appearance of discrimination, especially during in-person meetings.

Even in the long run.

It’s just not that common even though that is one of the main things talked about. 

You can find solid single-family homes, small multi-families, or even short-term rental properties in high-demand areas like downtown Indy or near major universities and hospitals.Indy has strong rental demand, landlord-friendly laws, and a relatively low cost of entry compared to major coastal markets.

.: Thanks, Dan, but that's not helpful since it (a) involved a car, not an investment property, and (b) wasn't even used.The advice from almost every investor is to protect your investments with an LLC or umbrella insurance.

I understand that they would all be considered unrelated even though two of them are cousins. 

I even try to unsell them on the business by sharing my financial losses, litigation,  market shifts, permit purgatory, shady contractors,  clouded title issues,  paranormal activity, squatters, mold, etc.

Even if you haven't been in this kind of setup before, I am curious to hear your opinion. 

And while a 1031 exchange isn’t an option, some people explore alternatives like installment sales to spread out taxes or even tweaking the investment structure so your returns are treated as interest instead of equity.There are definitely some creative strategies out there. 

Normally the escrow agent will want mutual sign off even if its clear the contract terms indicate one party should be awarded the escrow funds.