You have to decide what your time is worth to either take those 8 phone calls, or hire a PM - for us we would rather keep the $10,560 you could potentially pay for PM service in a year for the 4-plex and take the 8 phone calls (yes oversimplified - but you get the point!).

We still find deals here that meet the 1% rule, positive cash flowing, and have tons of potential for appreciation.

Quote from @Francisco Ruiz: We are looking at Snowshoe, WV as a potential market. 

Also looking at a potential VA deal right now.How do you navigate this if the seller is looking to buy another primary in the near future?

If you operated a business, even without an LLC, you may potentially be able to write off certain expenses.

STR can provide more cash (potentially), but its a high risk high reward strategy - if you invest in the furniture, staging, photos, and management or self manage, there is a lot of time and money invested.

@Mike Johnson you definitely have a different set of problems or potential problems depending upon where you are at.Brand new and acquiring your first rental you're going to manage:Everything can kind of be summed up as you don't know what you don't know.

We stopped using it because we realized we had missed out on opportunities where neighborhoods were on the verge of gentrification or there was an opportunity to invest in a project with potentially great returns and no change in the demographics.

With cast the roots can sneak in around the bells and with clay tiles they just stack together so every joint is a potential entry point. 

With a long-term hold strategy, this property should continue building wealth through appreciation, equity, and potential rent growth.