I am all for real estate investing and preparing our future so we can be financially stable from real estate and not have to rely on our W2 income to survive.I have been investing for four years now and have a few properties under my belt.

That said, through conversations with brokers in the area (and evidenced in the comps I’ve created) I’ve learned that this strategy may be slightly outdated as most properties are currently at market rents given the current rental environment, expenses aren’t a realistic lever to rely on to add value, and there is a real risk I get priced out of the market by buyers with cash, 1031 exchanges, and with longer term hold strategies willing to pay an extra $10-20k per key.

I also work for a Fortune 500 so it has been helpful to understand how these types of organizations operate and translate this to my real estate investing.

That wouldn't be a problem if we were planning on staying for the next 10 years but eventually, my fiancé and I would like to buy our own private house.One upside is that appreciation is quite strong in the market I'm looking at, however, I don't know if I would want to rely on that.

While it may be grossing decent rents, with section 8 Im not a fan of relying on that as you have a tenant that cant afford the rent if things turn bad for them.

I rely heavily on the cleaners ratings.

Owners (especially owner occupied owners) should be able to purchase and rely on zoning to keep the community with the density permitted by the zoning.  

I'm looking at options for using business credit to build the business instead of needing to rely solely on my own personal finances.  

Most of them work really hard to feed their family and rely on a steady paycheck every two weeks. 

You’ll likely have a lower down payment requirement (I am sure you will but as an attorney I am always skeptical of making and relying on definite statements, especially where I don’t know all the relevant facts).