Starting small with house hacking, SFR, or STR, and balancing with a full-time job involves automation and early system building.

It’s flexible and can help you fund deals quickly.Lease Options: Similar to “rent-to-own,” you control a property with minimal upfront costs and can potentially get a cut of the appreciation if you decide to buy it later.Lines of Credit: If you already own a property with equity, a HELOC or business line of credit can give you accessible funds for down payments or renovation costs.House Hacking: This might sound basic, but if you haven’t tried it, it can be a fast track to building up rental income and experience without a ton of cash down.

Yes, there are things that are out of your control, but my personal POV is the whole "I need an LLC" is a little overblown.  

He's a really smart guy when it comes to supply, demand, rent control, and overall investing

The OP does not have a system or experience.

As far as I've been told, there's never been any issues with the systems.

You don't need to set up any other communication system (like google voice or another email address) to avoid sharing your personal contact information, you can do all of that within the app.

I was going to have to have the third floor sprinkled and have a commercial fire alarm system installed. 3.)  

The system I use for cash management is called "Profit First".

Most investors will also take into consideration risk, time invested, control over the asset, the ability to do a cash-out refinance, and other factors.