At our last turnover, we had neighborhood kids breaking in several times while vacant, damaging the house until we installed a security system and camera high enough that they’d need a ladder to get to it.

WTF, are you kidding me?! 

A bit about me: I’m currently exploring various investing strategies (fix-and-flip, buy-and-hold, etc.) and looking to expand my knowledge in residential and commercial real estate.

@Josh WellsRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

I work a 9-5, am married, and have 2 kids under 3 years old so I don't have a ton of extra time to actively find, fix, and flip properties.

While Denton is a solid market with steady demand from students, don't hesitate to explore other areas within DFW for potential deals.Financing Options:Conventional Mortgage: Since you have a good credit score and zero debt, you're well-positioned to keep going with traditional mortgages.

Hey,So after exploring all the different options I have decided that my best best is to develop a multi-family in these areas.

He has stellar credit but is unable to make deals due to the sensitive financial company he works for and the amount of student loans he cosigned for his kids. 

W-2, 1099, etc.) with passive income/loss from rentals is to meet the IRS requirements for Real Estate Professional Status or REPS (this also requires material participation in addition to specific requirements to be considered a REPS).Once you have clarity on whether or not you can offset non-passive income with rental losses you can then explore cost seg to accelerate depreciation (and some of the accelerated depreciation from cost seg will impact year 1)...

Are you looking to buy investments in the OC or are open to exploring other markets?