So I just joined Buildium, spent hours setting everything up, it seems mostly pretty great, except one HUUUUGE issue that is making my head explode...they don't support credit card tracking?!?!?  

And I should say that I have property in Japan, and have spent nearly 15 years there.

I spent a decade in advertising, before founding and running a custom wood shop for another decade, so 'm pretty good at the self-promotion.I agree with you that the more gorilla approach would be most effective and that's actually what i've been doing – calling RE agents in my service area with active listings, introducing myself to property managers and leasing agents...To answer your question, I will have to handle the work myself for 6-12 months to build out the SOPs and field service management systems, but I have a lot of relationships for those looking to "do the work".I'll check out the meet up and would love to grab a cup of coffee, I'll shoot you an email.

We spent about a month fixing up the place.

I've known about Jerry for YEARS haven't spent one penny and have received a ridiculous amount of value engaging with his content, again for FREE.

So if you make you buy box too tight, you will find very few deals that will fit your buy criteria. 

But if your budget is tight or your home only needs minor updates, your real estate agent can help you think outside of the box by suggesting simple DIY staging tips to help your home look its best.Bottom LineStaging your house properly can make it much more attractive to buyers, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and every home shines differently.

I have already spent quite a bit on attorney's fees myself. 

be best spent at this time with the long-term strategy in mind :)  

I'd say just start your search with all 2-4 unit properties, and when you find one where the numbers make sense and it checks your other boxes (somewhere you actually want to live and house hack), then it probably makes sense.