Save money, pay less taxes, spend it on real estate and the stock market. 

For instance, with STRs, why won't an investor spend an hour on AirBNB for their area to identify listings that:1) rank the highest2) occupancy 95%+3) ADR $750+4) hosts have 2+ properties5) listings are branded with 20k+ Instagram followersetcThen, reach out to those top operators; as many don't have the time or gave up on cold outreach, yet they've done the hardest 90%, have skin in the game, and outcompeted thousands of listings nearby.

You'll be so busy working that you won't spend as much, which increases savings.Talk to a bank and learn how to increase your credit score. 630 is not good. 

Overall, how long do you spend in deal analysis for each property, and how many properties do you review before making a decision?

I don't let myself spend any equity from properties (even when I was scrapping and could have really used it) don't touch that equity!

Their only other bills are their mobile phone and car insurance, and with the rest of the money they save on rent, they can spend it on other priorities, whether it’s expensive toys, travel or paying down debt.

Also, Rome is one of the only places I've seen that has consistent inventory below $100k.Word of advise, If you're investing out of state there I HIGHLY reccomend spending a week or two there to see/understand the market.DM me if interested - happy to point y'all in the right direction.

So spending the additional money to convert a property in my area is never worth it.I mention this, because if you goal is higher returns on your investment, I would make sure the financials actually align before you even begin to get to the technical components.

I hope to have 10 properties ( i am currently at 4) and at the age of 41...... by the time I am 50 years old and spend the age 50-60 trying to pay them down aggressively. 

No matter what you do, you cannot replace the value of boots on the ground so the next best thing(in our experience) is spend some time down there, interview some potential handymen etc. and forge a relationship, we have multiple that we have connected with in person and when you make a personal connection with them they will take care of your property better, especially in an emergency situation.