Thanks for being open on the lessons learned. 

My parents had a 3 family growing up and I used to hate going there on weekends but I learned a lot and it obviously stuck with me.

This is a great place to learn and further investigate investing in real estate.

I have a lot to learn on this side until then but am looking at buying a value add multifamily rather than residential.

Lesson learned is to pay more to get into a nicer area (B neighborhood) with more reliable tenants to avoid the vacancy risks, but again, if we can just get the 2nd unit filled we will finally have stable cash flow.

You will be able to learn a lot from the forums and past posts.

And this is why you fix your DTI issue, so you can do things properly and not get "creative" and learn the hard way.  

Great work and valuable lessons learned!

That means learning how to vet a manager.

I currently self-manage three properties in the Atlanta metro area and have learned a ton through trial and error over the years.