Your mentor has needs; try to meet them and develop a mutually beneficial relationship.A mentor can benefit your growth, but it's not as simple as one post on a forum full of strangers.

All bulk and relatively cheap from Amazon.

Plus for its high cash flow potential, utilizing a 1031 exchange to reinvest gains effectively made this experiment a relatively low risk for me.

I started my investment journey when I took on a w-2 role working between property management, and tenant relations as a Community Coordinator for a 254-unit apartment community.

You can encourage them to apply for unemployment benefits if they haven't already.

If I purchased more expensive homes (relatively speaking) it’s hard to say if the equity gains would be more or less.

A lot of my clients buying in FL are happy with minimal return but are buying for second homes, tax benefits, etc.I would stick with value add - with refi you can still achieve high CoC and a good equity position. 

Never react to what your tenant says, only to what they do as it relates to the lease agreement in place.

I own a unique mobile home park in South Carolina that's relatively small (5 acres) comprised of 12 lots (I own 8 of the homes while the other 4 are owner-occupied and charged lot rent) along with a house (3 units). 

@Maria JeanetteHere are some of the downsides of putting real estate into a self directed IRA or 401k.No tax deductions: You can’t claim deductions for property taxes, mortgage interest, depreciation, repairs, improvements and other property-related expenses.Property expenses: All expenses, repairs, and maintenance costs must be paid with IRA or 401k funds.