I have one long term partnership that we share capital but I still do all the work ( rain maker) he is a cpa so he does do the books and tax return though :)  WE built one subdivision together were he put in 500k and I made him 1.2 mil in 18 months net profit so that was not bad.

Additionally, if your goal is to maximize personal financial benefits, consider profit distributions from the property-owning LLC, which may provide tax flexibility depending on your situation.By adhering to FMV, maintaining proper documentation, and structuring the lease agreement carefully, you can optimize tax benefits while staying compliant.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

Made a decent profit for my first experience Lessons learned?

Was sold above the asking price                   within days of listing.High ROI: Achieved a 50% return on investment due to low renovation costs and increased sale price.Investor PerspectiveRecognized the potential others overlooked by seeing beyond the property's initial appearance andm aximized profits by investing wisely in visible, impactful areas.

I've seen other people in the forum who simply use independent savings accounts but it is not clear to me if that is legal.

**As investors, you are closest to the consumer (home buyers/renters), so you tend to absorb costs and reduced profits from unexpected spikes in expenses that wholesalers or contractors pass on to you!

What has a lot of folks spooked is that simply doing a 1031 exchange is an attempt to avoid tax. 

Property managers have established vendor relationships and can handle issues quickly.Cons of Hiring a Property Manager❌ Lower Profit Margins – Management fees (typically 8-12% of monthly rent) eat into your cash flow, which can be a dealbreaker if your margins are tight.❌ Less Control Over Tenants & Maintenance – You won’t be as involved in selecting tenants or overseeing repairs, which might lead to decisions you wouldn’t have made yourself.❌ Not All Property Managers Are Great – A bad property manager can neglect your property, overcharge for repairs, or poorly handle tenant relations, leading to unnecessary headaches.Which Option Is Right for You?

What was your upstart expenses and do you consider it a profitable endeavor or something that just waste time?

But, the profit margins look to be eye-popping, sometimes on the order of 10X or better.