Generally speaking (I dont have any details about your situation), househacking is the best way in for people getting started.

How have you found quality contractors that you continue to hire?

I use superhide for the walls, but don't mind paying extra for better quality trim, so much less of it gets used. 

IMO - focus on improving your cash flow, lowering your vacancy, limiting bad debt, and screening for high quality tenants.

The Midwest can be a great place to get good cash flow, but make sure you have quality management.

Can't speak to the organization in Michigan but generally the benefits of a well run STRA far outweigh the costs.I am a property manager in Hawaii so we are constantly being hit with new anti-STR legislation and have a large, well-funded hotel lobby to deal with constantly.

It sounds great, but it's all just words at this point - speaking from the experience as both an operator, broker, as well as someone that has experimented first hand with different tools. 

And after speaking with a lot of folks at BPCON2024 I’m realizing this is a niche that some of you in the community are very good at, but most of you, like me, know this is a need but don’t have a good solution. 

If you speak to a CPA who understands remotely what I mentioned then you're in good hands.

With a team, even if you’re paying salaries or commissions, you could close 25 deals a month.From there, increase your marketing, improve your SEO, and keep spending money to make (far more) than you spend.Keep scaling and tweaking until one day, you realize a steady stream of leads is coming in through your SEO efforts.At that point, you can turn off your paid marketing and enjoy the highest-quality leads for free—without lifting a finger.Let me know if you have any concerns or questions!