I left that role as an analyst this past February and have since gotten my real estate license.

Here in Colorado, I pay the following:$279 for a 432 unit community that has a pool, a clubhouse, an exercise room and pool tables, landscaping and a shared water bill$305 for a 183 unit community with no pool, but has landscaping and a playground$338 for a 120 unit community with a pool, a clubhouse and landscaping.Your mileage may vary, but your HOA dues seem reasonable(ish) to me.

It's a one time payment that guarantees that only you can buy it, and it locks the price in, and...there are no monthly payments (or income) until you exercise your Option to Buy.

We still do spontaneous giving as well, but just like planning a weekly exercise routine keeps our muscles strong and growing, I think having a plan for giving keeps our generosity attitude and practices strong and growing.What has your experience been with giving and generosity?

Even if you do manage your properties yourself, factor PM expenses in when running your numbers to make sure you have some wiggle room to leave that role if you wish to down the road.

I don't have any earth shattering secrets you can't find in books, but I can share actual experiences, timelines, prices, rehab costs, insurance costs, rental roles, property management and tips for how I've created a 19 unit portfolio worth almost $1M and generating over $100k annually inside my IRA, starting from a relatively small initial investment.  

While this may an interesting mental exercise to go through, my opinion is this would be a foolish thing to actually do. 

We are clocking all of our hours, and in the future my role will transition from being hired help and more into just finding deals, my time better spent.

Even if my offer isn't accepted or things don't work out for other reasons it's been a good exercise, as a newbie, trying to assess the costs and potential returns of the two different options.

My idea for a more sustainable future would be to get a job at major CRE firm brokerage in a junior role.