You might also look into learning about BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat), a popular method for scaling a portfolio.Network Locally: Engaging with local investors and attending meetups in markets like Dallas or Fort Worth can provide insights and connections that are invaluable.You'll find that momentum grows quickly.

It will also be interesting to see how values could be affected down the road, as well. 

The tax expert knows more about whether or not the future is affected by changing the use between 2023 and 2024.If you are worried about paying taxes on rental income, you might consider that you can rent your home out tax-free for (I believe this is correct) 14 days of the calendar year. 

You don't need to repeat.

@Jonathan Bombaci recommend using that amount as a bargaining chip for lower rates.80% of evictions are wash, rinse, repeat. 

Or, ya know, just spend the next 140 hours trying to get a self-study law education followed by another few hundred hours self-study to sort out how to avoid repeating the situation.That's the reality of it all. 

I had a nice conversation with them and approved their booking for Aug 2025.So, it pays to keep an eye out for a repeat booking that looks fake as they could just not be seeing you responses. 

It's simply factual:  you violated the lease by smoking, stop it, remove the resulting odor and that a repeat action could result in eviction and loss of security deposit.  

And it's a big investment you are making- so if things go wrong, that will affect your finances significantly.

I tried to skim most of the replies so I wouldn’t repeat what’s already been said but here’s my response to OP about real estate and retirement.