My insurance agent found two others but both required an automatic water turn off at the main valve but it’s physically impossible to put one there.

But I’ll bet  you’ve developed a great “feel” for when to “work” with a tenant and when to get “tough”  

Your best bet would be to take a look at a combination of cash outs / or maybe just one in order to obtain your proceeds for the new purchase.

My purely hypothetical car wash mortgage client has 3 vending machines full of vastly overpriced car detailing stuff (next to a physical bulletin board showcasing some shiny freshly detailed sexy cars...), and one with snacks at normal vending machine markups (buys either at Costco, or whatever he finds on sale).GL.

IMO I think you need a physical book so you can earmark this stuff.

I would however get into the habit of increasing rent every year, even if it is a small amount-it adds up and I'll bet your costs (insurance, taxes, etc) go up every year.

If you buy now you are betting your criteria will be similar when you retire.

I really see Columbus Ohio as an extremely safe bet for the next 10-20 years.

REITs offer a way to diversify your real estate investments without directly owning physical properties.Real Estate Crowdfunding:Invest in real estate crowdfunding platforms that pool funds from multiple investors to finance real estate projects.

I also always worked in construction in some shape or form (i grew up in it) and frankly I just love doing the physical labor.